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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29908125">Visions Interrupted</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/EdwardsMate4ever/pseuds/EdwardsMate4ever'>EdwardsMate4ever</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Visions Interrupted [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Twilight Series - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Book: Breaking Dawn, Canon Compliant, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Family Drama, Lots of Angst, Magical Pregnancy, Missing Moments, Movie: Breaking Dawn Part 1, Movie: Breaking Dawn Part 2, Prophetic Visions, Supernatural Elements, Suspense, god i'm awful at tagging, racist jasper, some smut, volturi showdown</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 19:28:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>39,139</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29908125</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/EdwardsMate4ever/pseuds/EdwardsMate4ever</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Discover Breaking Dawn in canon from Alice's POV. In this story, we will discover what the Cullens really felt about Bella's pregnancy, and what exactly happened when Alice and Jasper left the Olympic Coven in order to save them all.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alice Cullen/Jasper Hale, Carlisle Cullen/Esme Cullen, Edward Cullen/Bella Swan, Emmett Cullen/Rosalie Hale</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Visions Interrupted [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2274266</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Preparations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Disclaimer: This fanfiction is based on Stephenie Meyer’s novel “Breaking Dawn.” No copyright infringement is intended.</p><p>Special thanks to my awesome beta palmofafreezinghand for her excellent suggestions, and to Alice's White Rabbit for making sure my grammar is sound.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>________________________________________<br/>
Visions Interrupted: Chapter 1- Preparations<br/>
________________________________________</p><p>My body was simply abuzz with excitement. Not only were my favorite brother and my best friend getting married the very next day, they actually let me plan the whole thing. Party planning had always been my forte and my passion, so I guess Edward didn’t mind me taking the reins. And Bella? Well, she abhors being the center of attention, so she was being very hands off. Neither of them cared about the wedding’s particulars—they could get married in jeans and a sweater with Emmett officiating for all they cared. So, I took control. I wanted it to be absolutely perfect for Edward, who had been waiting so long for love. I knew that after years of attending weddings for Rosalie and Emmett, as well as the occasional vow renewal for the rest of us, he wanted to be the one all the celebration was for.  Edward’s long wait had finally paid off, and he deserved a day to celebrate his mating. He would finally get to experience the feeling of calmness and completion of being with your perfect match for all time. </p><p>With his ability, it was nearly impossible for him to find someone to mate with. He could hear every involuntary thought that could pop into a person’s mind, and those thoughts were very blunt. Whereas one might filter what comes out of their mouths, their minds run freely, which makes it easy for Edward to find a reason he doesn’t want to be with that person. Usually, their thoughts were too lewd for him and put him off, like Tanya, or they would think nasty things about how young he was, like Rosalie, or any other female who could think any number of things that might hurt his feelings, and that would put him off too. With Bella, he didn’t have to hear any of that. She probably had a filthy mind if her pressuring him into a real honeymoon was any indication. But her mind was silent to him, so he’d never know and whatever she thought wouldn’t spoil their relationship. Besides, Bella couldn’t wait to sleep with him. If she had to get married for that to happen, so be it. That was her whole attitude—she just didn’t care about any planning for her wedding. That was fine with me, although I would have liked her to muster some enthusiasm once in a while, like selecting the cake or what kind of flowers she wanted. </p><p>It didn’t really matter though because I knew what their perfect wedding would look like from the flashes I saw in my visions. Every time I decided something, a picture would flash in my mind, and I could see how well or not it would work with the rest of the arrangements. So, I knew my wedding was going to be whimsical and harkening back to an era long past.</p><p>I planned the whole affair in a matter of weeks. After we defeated Victoria and the newborns and Bella and Edward told us all about their engagement, I got straight to work reserving caterers and sending out invitations to all the humans I wanted to invite. This was different than the weddings I’d planned with Rosalie. Bella had a whole human life and lots of people who would want to see her get married, unknowingly seeing her for the last time ever. This was going to be as epic as the graduation party, but this time, it wouldn’t be spoiled by the wolves. No wolves meant no horrible visions of death coming for us. Everyone could just relax and enjoy themselves without drama for once.</p><p>Everything was under control, but Emmett kept trying to find small flaws in my plans, having always enjoyed playing the pain-in-the-ass brother role. Luckily for me, and unluckily for him, there were no flaws—Alice Cullen knows what she's doing, especially for such an important event as Edward's wedding day. Emmett desperately wanted something to rankle me with, and I saw in his future that he was going to untie the cushions from the ceremony folding chairs so guests might slide off the chairs when they sat down.</p><p>"You better not, Emmett!" I growled from my bedroom upstairs. Even though he was downstairs, I knew he would hear me. I heard him groan lightly, and I unfocused briefly from my task of putting the finishing touches on Bella's bouquet to see into his future. He knew now that he would be caught so he wasn't going to try any other shenanigans, thankfully.</p><p>While I was in my trance-like state, I decided to check up on Edward's future too. He had been so worried lately about killing Bella on their honeymoon when they would finally consummate their relationship. I already knew that the sex was going to happen—Bella was dead set on it, and she was not going to change her mind anytime soon. Edward wasn't changing his mind either—he had made a promise to her and Edward was nothing if not a man of his word. But he was also more than 100 years old having sex for the first time, and he was nervous that he wouldn’t be able to rein in his strength or keep from biting her.</p><p>I concentrated hard, looking forward two days from now. The sun shone bright in the windows of the master bedroom on Isle Esme. The room was an utter mess of torn clothing and, inexplicably, feathers. There was no blood to be seen anywhere, however. Bella would be safe. Edward would figure it out.</p><p>Satisfied with my vision, I shook my head to clear it and returned my attention to the bouquet. As I fastened the ribbon around the collection of stems, I realized that everything was done, except one more thing—the packing for the honeymoon. How could I have almost forgotten!</p><p>Turning to Jasper, who was reading a book as he lounged on our bed, I exclaimed, “I have to go shopping.”</p><p>His deep chuckle rent the air. “No kidding,” he deadpanned. Laying the open book on his chest, he pillowed his head with his arms. “The wedding is tomorrow, Al. What could you possibly still need?”</p><p>I carefully laid down the finished bouquet before sliding into bed beside him. “It’s not for the wedding but for what comes after,” I said conspiratorially, raising my eyebrows for extra effect.</p><p>“Is that so, ma’am?”</p><p>I bit my lip to hide my grin. Jasper ducked his head and teased my lower lip from my teeth, capturing it with his own. We kissed slow and soft, a hint of need coming in from behind. Our tongues caressed as my desire flared, and I threw my leg over his thighs. “Will there be anything in those purchases for me?” he whispered against my lips.</p><p>Chuckling, I briefly glanced into our future. “Yup,” I replied, popping the P, sealing the deal with a firm kiss before flitting over to the door. “See you later!” Jasper smiled and waved, looking a little bewildered. But he was used to the whirlwind that was me, and I left, still giggling to myself.</p><p>I ran downstairs in a flash, almost running down Esme, who was standing at the bottom of the stairs. “Oh, God! Sorry, Esme.”</p><p>"Alice, is something wrong? Why are you running?" she asked with concern.</p><p>"No, Mom, don't worry—everything's fine—I just almost forgot to get …” I hesitated, not wanting to be too graphic—Esme really was like our mother, and I was sure she didn’t want to think too much about what sort of things would happen on that honeymoon, in her bed. “Uh … provisions for Edward and Bella’s trip."</p><p>"Oh, okay, dear," Esme replied, not seeming to realize what I meant. "I'm surprised you forgot anything. You've been so on top of everything this whole time." She paused, looking wistful. "I wish I’d been able to help more."</p><p>A sharp pang of guilt stabbed through me as the realization set in that I wasn’t the only one excited about the wedding. Of course Esme wanted to help. She knew Edward for so much longer than I did, and they really acted like mother and son. How silly of me not to realize she might be interested in helping me plan. “I wish you would’ve said something.”</p><p>Esme knew me well and could tell I felt bad. “Alice, honey, I know how much you love planning events. It carries you away, and that’s okay because everything always turns out beautifully. Nobody could do it better than you. Just let me know if there's anything I can do to help you, okay?"</p><p>I smiled with relief and nodded. Esme was so understanding, but sometimes, it led to us walking all over her, however unintentionally. We’d lived together and loved each other for so many decades now, you would think I would have learned by now not to take advantage of the fact Esme would rather not make waves. I had such a bulldozer personality, and my manic desire for a perfect party had ruined many family events in the past, such as Emmett’s thirtieth birthday, which he insisted on having a party for. I had only known Emmett for a few years, and yet I still took the reins. Esme never protested. I had to remember. I vowed to be more circumspect and considerate of her feelings in the future. </p><p>She smiled back and tapped my shoulder, playfully pushing me toward the door. "Off you go, then," she said.</p><p>I shot her a wide grin and danced a little circle to the front door, grabbing the keys to my yellow Porsche on my way out.</p><p>As I drove toward the mall, I started to think about the final fittings with Charlie and Bella this morning. Bella had, of course, been mostly disinterested, and her gaze was far away, her mind no doubt on how irrevocably her life was about to change. She would be a married woman in less than 24 hours, and then she would be a vampire for all of eternity. I’m sure her revelations were staggering. They had certainly rendered her almost speechless.</p><p>Charlie wasn’t a whole lot better. He was always happy to see me, but that happiness quickly soured as I began to pin up his suit for the necessary final alterations. He kept accusing me of poking him, which was completely ridiculous and unfounded, thank you very much. I would know immediately if I had stuck him with a pin. Bella knew this too, and she had snickered quietly.</p><p>My Porsche made it to the mall quickly, and after spending several hours at Frederick's of Hollywood, I finally settled on ten negligees for Bella to choose from while she was away. Bella was eager for sex but shy, so I refrained from choosing anything that covered too much skin, opting for skimpy and sheer. She had to break out of her shell eventually. Edward would thank me for it, even though I knew Bella would curse me at the same time.</p><p>I hopped back in my car and was about to race home when I got stopped by a red light. On the corner was a pharmacy. I immediately realized I would need to stop there too. I rolled my eyes at myself. It's so hard to remember all things human when you've been immortal for decades. I pulled into the pharmacy parking lot and entered the building as quickly as I dared. I was missing my husband and desperately wanted to return to him before he left for Edward's bachelor party.</p><p>I walked down the feminine products aisle and picked up a box of tampons for Bella. Although we would never admit it, Bella smelled a bit more pungent to the rest of the family as of late. Edward had become more or less immune to her scent at this point, but the rest of us had more difficulty ignoring it. She was ovulating, and her uterus was beginning to line with blood. She would need these in about twelve days’ time.</p><p>As I made my way to the checkout counter, I spotted an array of condoms and intimate lotions. I considered getting a box of condoms for laughs but settled on just a bottle of strawberry-scented lotion that would complement the scent of Bella's skin nicely. What use are condoms when both of them are virgins, and there is no chance of a child?<br/>
Quite suddenly, my eyes unfocused and odd fragments filtered through my mind. I had a vision of Bella, cold and frozen and impossibly beautiful—a vampire. Behind her, she shielded a young child with red eyes from a threat I couldn’t see. I concentrated more deeply, trying to see if the child was a boy or girl, and trying to discern the threat. And then, as quickly as it had come, the vision vanished. I shook my head and noticed there was a woman in the aisle, looking at me with concern. “Are you okay, miss?”</p><p>Still a bit flustered by the vision, I just nodded and tried to smile. She glanced at the condoms in my hand. “If you’re that nervous, don’t do it,” she said, brushing past me to continue shopping. Smiling to myself, I shook my head at the box as I replaced the condoms on the shelf and went to pay the cashier for the lotion.</p><p>As I walked back to my car, I couldn’t help but wonder what on earth that vision was about. Or could it have just been my imagination? Had she dreamed it? Would we encounter an immortal child one day, and Bella would want to claim it? I pushed those thoughts out of my head. Just because she was on a trajectory that showed us defending an immortal child now didn’t mean it would stay that way. The future constantly changed as it was influenced by so many variables. Sometimes, a meaningful dream can impact a decision and change a person’s future. But it was only one thread among many possible futures. I wasn’t going to let this dim and unlikely possible future detract from Edward and Bella’s special day. My brain liked to live in the future, but sometimes it took a conscious effort to be present in the here and now.</p><p>I returned home a little before nightfall. Carlisle and Emmett were watching a documentary about Alcatraz on TV. I knew Carlisle watched because he loved history and expanding his knowledge any way possible. Emmett watched because the prison was considered inescapable, and he enjoyed hearing the stories of human escape attempts when he knew how easy it would be for him to foil Alcatraz.</p><p>"Where are Esme and Rose?" I asked quietly.</p><p>Distracted, Carlisle answered, "Hunting."</p><p>I nodded and headed upstairs to pack a suitcase for Bella. Edward already packed his, and the luggage waited outside his bedroom door to be snatched quickly tomorrow when the time came to catch the plane.</p><p>As I approached Jasper's and my bedroom, I could feel waves of calm permeating the air around me. Typical Jazz, I thought, trying to stop my worrying for a while. I really had been stressing lately, and there was no point in that now—everything was done and ready for tomorrow. I didn’t fight the attempt to calm my anxiety, and I relaxed as it seeped into my soul. </p><p>I opened the door and found Jasper quietly sitting on the bed, waiting for me. He looked up and beamed as I entered the room.</p><p>"Ah, my darling angel has returned," he whispered, reaching out to me. I dropped my bags on the floor and eagerly rushed into his waiting arms. I curled up in the crook of his arm and breathed in his woodsy scent as he stroked my cheek with his free hand. He sighed into my hair and lifted my chin so he could look into my eyes. "Is my hummingbird done for today?"</p><p>"Almost," I replied, kissing the end of his nose. "I just have to pack Bella's suitcase."</p><p>Jasper's expression darkened at the reference to the upcoming honeymoon. "How's it looking?" he asked with concern. Although my feelings were always at the forefront of Jasper’s consciousness, Edward's emotions had been overwhelming him lately. The excitement he could handle—Jasper always liked to feel the happiness in others, especially in Edward since true happiness had been rare in Edward before he found Bella. But Edward's joy was mixed with extreme nervousness and trepidation about the promise he had to keep.</p><p>"I checked again a few hours ago. Everything will be fine. None of Bella's blood will be shed. Although, I did see a whole lot of feathers blanketing the bedroom."</p><p>Jasper threw back his head and roared with laughter. I looked up at him in confusion. "What's so funny about that?"</p><p>He snickered. "Oh, Alice. It looks like Edward will find something else to bite." He erupted in laughter again.</p><p>I thought about this for a split-second before realizing what he meant. "The pillows?"</p><p>He nodded, and we laughed together for a full minute. When we’d gotten ourselves under control, he retorted, "Wait ’til I tell Emmett about this!"</p><p>"Oh, Jazz, don’t say anything tonight, okay? Wait until they leave. Edward doesn't need any more teasing from Emmett."</p><p>Jasper nodded in agreement. "So, what did you get the two lovebirds?"</p><p>I leaped off the bed and grabbed the bags, excited to show him. I laid out the negligees on the bed for him to peruse.</p><p>He looked them over and held up a little purple number. It was one of the racier items, with two gaping holes where the breasts would be and crotchless panties. It certainly would leave little to the imagination. Jasper's breath grew quicker. "Can we keep this one?" He looked over at me with hooded eyes. The atmosphere in the room suddenly became saturated with Jasper’s undeniable lust.</p><p>He rose from the bed, pushing the lingerie aside and onto the floor. I started to protest the careless treatment of my new purchases, but then he was in front of me, caging me against the opposite wall, his woodsy scent assaulting my nose. My knees grew weak. I could never resist his scent. He leaned his face close, his lips almost brushing mine. </p><p>If my heart weren't frozen, it would have skipped a beat. I crushed my mouth against his, and he groaned with satisfaction, parting his lips to accept my tongue. As we kissed, I entwined my fingers through his hair, tugging on it. He moaned with the mix of pleasure and pain my strength gave him, and he tore my blouse open to reveal my bra.</p><p>He leaned in and snipped the straps with his teeth, revealing my small but supple breasts. Jasper had told me on more than one occasion that my breasts where what he and the French would consider perfect—one breast could fit perfectly in a martini glass. He flicked my nipple with his tongue, and my back arched with the pleasant shock of the warm wet tip. This was exactly what I needed—wonderful release from the tension that the wedding preparations had brought about in me.</p><p>I didn't want to wait. We could do it again in a little while anyway, but I needed him—now. I tore his button-down shirt apart, revealing his smooth, muscled chest, covered with small crescent-shaped scars. I traced a few of the scars lightly with my tongue, making Jasper quiver and moan. I grasped his belt in both hands and deftly unbuckled and removed it from the loops of his pants in one motion. "Jazz, I need you. Right now," I said with a low growl.</p><p>He grunted, unzipping his pants and slipping his hand under my skirt to tear my panties from my body. The pit of my stomach was tied in a knot of anticipation. His pants slid to the floor—he had gone commando today, I noticed—and he lifted me up, pressing my back to the wall while wrapping my legs around his waist. "Now, Jasper, now," I moaned.<br/>
And then he was within me, his thickness enveloped in my warm, wet cavern. He made a guttural sound of pleasure, as did I. "Oh, Alice," he moaned softly. Our mouths joined again, this time with more passion and ferocity.</p><p>We found our familiar rhythm quickly and catapulted ourselves to the brink of our arousal as only immortals could do. No human could ever know the depths to which we felt each caress, each breath, each slight quivering motion. It was euphoric and, I thought, far better than anything in this world.</p><p>I’d been so wrapped up in the details of the wedding that I hadn’t made time for this, so our control wasn’t what it normally was. Neither of us wanted to take our time, we just needed this release. There would be time for more intimate, gentle relations later. We reached our climaxes quickly, together. We collapsed to the floor, still connected, still entwined in each other arms.</p><p>And then, we heard Emmett downstairs. "Ewwww."</p><p>"Well, you don't have to listen, Emmett. That's what the noise-canceling headphones are for," Carlisle retorted.</p><p>“Yeah, well, they’re made for humans. They don’t cancel jack for these vampire ears,” Emmett grumbled. </p><p>Jasper and I giggled. It was ludicrous for Emmett to be disgusted, since he and Rosalie were the loudest and most destructive out of all of us.</p><p>Jasper sighed. "Aw, I'm gonna catch hell from him on the way to Bella's tonight."</p><p>"When do you have to pick up Edward?" I asked, hoping it wasn’t for a while.</p><p>He looked back at the clock. "Not for another hour," he said. He turned to grin at me. "Why don't you put on that little purple teddy, and we'll have another go?"</p><p>That was exactly what I’d hoped he would say.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Big Day</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I own none of Twilight - I just like to live in the world sometimes. This chapter contains lines of dialogue from Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (Chapter 3). No copyright infringement intended.</p>
<p>*****Please Note*****<br/>In this chapter, much of Alice’s dialogue is lifted straight from Breaking Dawn’s pages. These were the words SMeyer had her say, but damned if she didn’t make Alice incredibly rude and pushy! I just had to figure out a way to write around it. I’ll be glad when there are gaps in the canon so I can write my own dialogue for her!</p>
<p>Special thanks to my awesome betas Alice’s White Rabbit and palmofafreezinghand</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I was out the door the moment I saw that Bella was awake. I could hardly control my excitement. The wedding was finally here! Sure, Bella would probably put up a bit of a fight with all the fussing I was about to put her through, but I didn't care. This was as much Edward's day as hers, and I was determined to make her glorious.</p>
<p>On my way out, I asked Esme and Rosalie to straighten up all the centerpieces and place settings. Rosalie agreed with resignation, but Esme was exuberant. She was just as excited as I was and more than eager to help. I knew she would keep Rosalie in line, as only a mother could. I just hoped Rosalie would suck it up for a few hours.</p>
<p>I raced over to Bella's house and was there faster than I meant to be. I could hear her and Charlie talking inside. They’d heard my arrival, and Bella was telling Charlie what his duties were for the day. I raced to the front door and rang the bell. Charlie answered.</p>
<p>The moment he saw me, his face softened. Charlie always liked me. I tended to have that effect on humans. My personality was naturally bright and bubbly, and I assumed that in my human life I must have been a pretty happy person. Even though I had been sent to a mental asylum, I hypothesized that perhaps I was blissfully unaware of my circumstances. If I had been broken by the asylum, I imagined I would be more hopeless in my present life. I just didn’t want to think about what horrors I might have been faced with there, and since I couldn’t remember, I could construct a happier experience for myself. Of course, Carlisle hypothesized my memory loss was probably due to lots of electroshock therapy, but I didn’t want to go down that road. When I tried to find out more of my human life in Biloxi after James’ bombshell reveal of my origins, the results were spotty at best. My only living relative was my elderly niece, and she hadn’t even been born yet by the time I died. All I really had to go on were formal records and the family tombstones, so I would never really know for sure. I liked to stick with blissfully unaware It was less tragic, and who has time for tragedy. </p>
<p>But there would certainly be no tragedies today. "Hi, Charlie!" I exclaimed as I danced past him into the house.</p>
<p>Bella greeted me with a reluctant smile. Under her eyes there were dark circles, like she hadn't slept much. She sighed deeply. I’m sure she could tell I had a lot in store for her. I smiled perhaps a little too widely as I dragged her out to the Porsche and sped back to my house.</p>
<p>"God, Bella! What did you do? Stay up all night?" I asked her in disbelief.</p>
<p>"Almost," she mumbled.</p>
<p>Irritated, I replied, "Well, I only have so much time to make you resplendent today—you could have tried taking better care of yourself."</p>
<p>"No one expects me to be resplendent." Bella sighed. So did I. This girl had no idea what a beauty was and that she could be counted among them.      <br/>I softened my tone. "Well, at least you can catch up on your sleep on the plane tomorrow."</p>
<p>Bella looked out the window thoughtfully, as though she were trying to figure something out. Had I dropped a hint that I wasn't supposed to about the destination of her honeymoon? I bit my lip and vowed not to say anything further on the subject. I tried to dismiss it. "Well, you’re all packed and ready to go!"</p>
<p>"I wish you would have let me pack my own things."</p>
<p>Shaking my head, I rolled my eyes at her. "It would have given too much away. Obviously, Edward has kept you mostly uninformed, and I intend to keep it that way." Of course, I already knew she would be worried about her clothes, so I made sure to put a few t-shirts and casual pants in there, although it pained me to do it.</p>
<p>Bella rolled her eyes and smiled at me wryly. "At least you got a chance to go and shop."</p>
<p>"That's right! You'll be my sister soon, so get used to having lots of new clothes!" I said, trying to lighten her mood. </p>
<p>But Bella was distracted now. "Is Edward back yet?"</p>
<p>The boys were due to bring him home in a few hours. "Not yet, but even when he does get back, you can't see him. Not until you're walking to the altar."</p>
<p>"What does it matter?" she asked. "You know he's already seen me in my dress."</p>
<p>As we turned down the driveway to the house, I grinned wide. I had been absolutely sure that wouldn’t happen. "Nope. I'm the only one who’s seen you in your dress. I know what to do to block him from my mind." And that was to sing the entire song catalogue of The Bee Gees on repeat translated into Pig Latin. It drove Edward absolutely crazy because not only did he despise disco but also, and I quote, ‘That language is disrespectful to the most important language in existence!’</p>
<p>"I see you reused the graduation decorations." Bella commented, pulling me from my thoughts of an irritated Edward. She had noticed the trees lining the drive, which did bear the same décor that they had a few months ago.</p>
<p>"Yup! Enjoy them because you don't get to see the other decorations until it's time!" Oh, yes, I am definitely enjoying this, I thought as she glowered. I ushered her through the front door and up the stairs, taking care that we moved too quickly for her to get a good look at anything. The one thing she couldn't ignore was the aroma I had created. I took great care to match it to the scent of her skin, just another little treat for my brother.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Ooo," Bella cooed. "It's wonderful!" She breathed deeply. "Orange blossoms, lilac …"</p>
<p>"… freesia and roses," I said, completing her thought. Bella beamed. I led her into the bathroom and sat her down in front of the huge vanity. She sighed.</p>
<p>"Is this really necessary? I'm going to look plain next to him no matter what," Bella complained.</p>
<p>"Not when I'm done with you," I assured her.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>At that moment, Rosalie entered the room. Bella tensed almost imperceptibly, although it didn't go unnoticed by me or by Rosalie. "They're back," Rosalie informed us. "They're helping Esme finish up out back." </p>
<p>They were back already? Now there was more time for Edward to catch a glimpse of his bride, which would totally go against tradition and spoil how hard I worked to transform Bella today while still looking like herself. I was enhancing the beauty that was already there, but Bella wasn’t confident enough to embrace herself. I shot Rosalie a frustrated glance, arching an eyebrow at the news of their early return home. She knew what I was asking and answered, "Don't worry, Edward won't cross you. He values his life too much."  Edward had spent the past few days trying to peek at the images in my head. Of course, I always headed him off at the pass since I could see when he made the decision to search my brain, but it was annoying to be constantly on guard. </p>
<p>"All right, Bella," Rosalie said. "Let's get started on your hair." Bella's mouth gaped open in surprise, but she caught herself and abruptly closed it again. If I were her, I would have reacted the same way. Rose usually made no effort to hide her distaste for Bella, but she had also gotten a bit caught up in the festivities and wanted to help.</p>
<p>Of course, Rose would choose Bella's hair to help with. Rosalie and I had different styles entirely when creating our hairdos. Rose was meticulous, every hair in its right place, and when you looked at her, even though you could see the effort she had put into it, you were still wowed by how amazing it looked. I studied my own reflection in the mirror.</p>
<p>My hair also took a long time to craft, although no one would ever know it. I liked my short black hair to be spiky—it just worked with the petite features of my face. Every hair was in its right place on my head too, but the difference was that it looked effortless. Light. Fun. That's how I liked it. Today was different. Rosalie had insisted on doing my hair in a sleeker, flatter style than I usually enjoyed. I could have done it myself, but Rosalie was going to have her own way on this one. It did look pretty good after all. So, I let her have hair, and I would focus on Bella's makeup.</p>
<p>"You can start braiding,” I told her as I quickly showed her what I’d envisioned. “I want it intricate. The veil goes here, underneath." Rosalie began braiding a section of Bella's hair into a perfect crescent circling the back of her skull, to sit atop the cascade of wavy chocolate brown tendrils. </p>
<p>Eyeliner poised in my hand, I leaned in toward Bella's face. She looked up at me with trepidation. "Do you have to?" she pleaded with me.</p>
<p>"Yes." I wasn’t in the mood for her protests. "Now, look up."</p>
<p>Soon enough, Rose was done, and she left to get my bridesmaid dress and get Jasper, who had just returned from picking up Bella’s mom and stepdad from the airport. Thankfully, he had just hunted at the bachelor party, so he hadn’t thirsted too badly in the enclosed space with the two humans. People were starting to arrive, and as I helped Bella into her dress, her nerves were spiking, and she shivered from the anticipation.</p>
<p>"Deep breaths, Bella. Try to lower your heart rate. You're going to sweat off your new face." </p>
<p>Bella rolled her beautifully made-up eyes and curled her perfectly pink lip. "Yeah, I'll get right on that." </p>
<p>It took a lot of effort not to giggle at her, but somehow, I held on to my composure. I wasn’t sure the same could be said for Bella, but I had to get in my dress. "I have to get dressed now. Can you hold yourself together for two minutes?" </p>
<p>"Maybe?" Bella squeaked. The girl was hopeless. </p>
<p>I flitted out of the room and down the hall to my room. Jasper wasn’t in there, but I could hear him chatting with our cousin Kate outside where the ceremony was to be held. It only took me 94 seconds to slip into my silvery dress that flowed like a waterfall.</p>
<p>Bella didn’t seem perturbed by how quickly I had returned, but she was definitely wowed by my dress. </p>
<p>"It's nothing,” I said, brushing off her flattery in favor of building her up on her special day. “No one will be looking at me today. Not while you're in the room. Now, are you in control of yourself, or do I have to bring Jasper up here?" </p>
<p>"They're back? Is my mom here?" </p>
<p>"She just walked in the door. She's on her way up." </p>
<p>As if on cue, Renee burst into the room, bewildering her daughter. "Oh, Bella!" she squealed. “Oh, honey, you're so beautiful! Oh, I'm going to cry!” Bella’s mother turned to me and gushed, “Alice, you're amazing! You and Esme should go into business as wedding planners. Where did you find this dress? It's gorgeous! So graceful, so elegant.” Turning back to Bella, she continued to prattle. “Bella, you look like you just stepped out of an Austen movie. Such a creative idea, designing the theme around Bella's ring. So romantic! To think it's been in Edward's family since the 1800s!" </p>
<p>Bella and I shared a knowing glance. Renee may have been a little bit off on the time period, but she was on the nose that I was trying to adhere to Edward’s era. <br/>Charlie entered the room then. "Renee, Esme said it's time you got settled down there," he said. Renee gushed over Charlie’s suit and started to say her goodbyes to Bella. The woman was a whirlwind; it was exhausting to watch! Was this what people thought about me when I was in a manic spiral?</p>
<p>Before I could think too deeply about that, Renee’s back got ramrod straight and she gasped. "Oh goodness, I almost forgot! Charlie, where's the box?" Charlie produced a small white box from his pocket and handed it to Renee. I leaned in to see what was in there too. </p>
<p> Renee lifted the lid and inside were two gorgeous, intricately designed silver hair combs encrusted with dark blue sapphires. "Something blue," she said.</p>
<p> "Something old, too. They were your Grandma Swan's," Charlie added. "We had a jeweler replace the paste stones with sapphires." </p>
<p>"Mom, Dad ... you shouldn't have." Bella was swallowing hard. I prayed she wouldn’t start crying and muss her makeup.</p>
<p>"Alice wouldn't let us do anything else," Renee said. "Every time we tried, she all but ripped our throats out." </p>
<p>That was an exaggeration. Yes, I had seen a vision of the combs looking just as they did now, sitting in that box, and yes, I’d made a call to Renee strongly hinting that she and Charlie give Bella a symbolic heirloom to accent her dress. And I may have even asked Charlie if his mother had any hair combs that had sapphires on them. I only guided them to their eventual decision. I didn’t force anybody’s hand. They could have just as easily decided on another piece of jewelry. I swallowed down my annoyance at Bella’s flighty, dithering mother and deftly slid the combs into Bella’s hair before Renee tried to do it and screw up Rosalie’s hard work. Now it was time for my contribution to this bridal tradition. Bella was looking a little pale, but I had just the thing to help with that.</p>
<p>"That's something old and something blue," I mused. "And your dress is new ... so here"—quickly, I flicked a white lacy garter at Bella, which she amazingly caught—"that's mine, and I want it back," I joked, but she took me seriously, her cheeks flaming red. "There. A little color—that's all you needed. You are officially perfect." </p>
<p>It was time. I could hear Rosalie doing a final tuning check on the piano, and the guests were filtering into their seats. "Renee, you need to get downstairs,” I instructed. “And Charlie, would you grab the flowers, please?" </p>
<p>Once they were both out the door, I snatched the garter from Bella’s hand and slid it into place on her thigh. She gasped and trembled; whether it was because my touch was cool or intimate, I wasn’t sure. </p>
<p>I was back on my feet before Charlie returned with the flowers. Rosalie had started to play, so we really had to go now. Bella was starting to look a bit panicked as reality set in that she was about to be on display in front of everyone she knew.</p>
<p> "Easy, Bells," Charlie reassured her before turning to me nervously. "She looks a little sick. Do you think she's going to make it?" </p>
<p>“She’d better,” I quipped, but I thought I’d better try to dazzle her to calm her down. Grabbing her wrists, I rose up on tiptoe so I could look her in the eyes and she could smell my exhaling breaths. She had to calm down and get through this part. I knew she didn’t want to hurt my brother, so I used that to my advantage. "Focus, Bella. Edward is waiting for you down there." </p>
<p>Bella breathed deeply, inhaling my scent and staring into my eyes. But Charlie nearly broke the spell when he nudged her, having heard the music change. "Bells, we're up to bat." <br/>"Bella?" I asked, still holding her gaze. </p>
<p>"Yes," she whispered, nodding. "Edward. Okay."</p>
<p>All right, good. Hopefully, she would laser focus on him and not even look at the people around her. The most important thing was she get down that aisle that seemed to petrify her. I pulled her out into the hallway, Charlie following behind closely. </p>
<p>We headed down the hallway toward the top of the stairs where all the guests were waiting to see Bella walk down the aisle and into my brother's life forever. If they only knew how long forever would really be.</p>
<p>I descended the staircase first as her maid of honor, taking care not to move too gracefully. You should never look better than the bride—that’s just gauche. As I walked toward the altar, I glanced around the room at all the human and vampire faces, looking so happy. I waved slightly to Tanya and the rest of the Denali clan before turning my attention to the altar. My eyes met Carlisle's first. Edward was his pride and joy, his firstborn, and the delight in his eyes was plain to see.</p>
<p>And then, I looked at Edward. A more joyful face I had never seen. His years of misery and angst had melted away—the bad times gone for good. As I took my place on the opposite side of Pastor Weber, I thought, <em>Edward, today your life begins again. Relish every moment. Your beautiful bride is ready to start her new existence with you.</em> He turned his face to look into my eyes, and I swear if we could cry, tears would have started to swell in both of our eyes.</p>
<p>He was distracted at once as the bridal march began, and Bella made her way down the staircase, escorted by Charlie. She looked shy and a little nervous as she glanced at the many people standing up, staring and grinning at her. Her eyes met mine, and I smiled warmly, trying to put her at ease. She smiled back tightly. Then she found Edward's gaze, and all her inhibitions seemed to melt away. She moved a little faster now, surprising Charlie with her suddenly quicker pace. As Charlie gave her away, and her hands were now in Edward's, Bella seemed at home.</p>
<p>                                                               ~~~~~~~</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The reception was well under way, and Jasper and I watched from the sidelines as our cousins Carmen and Eleazar, along with many other guests, danced to the smooth sounds of the classic 1950s wedding song, “In the Still of the Night” by the Five Satins. I personally preferred the Boys II Men remake, but Edward was a purist. Of course, I’d been sure to include all of the usual human traditions, including Edward and Bella feeding each other cake, which Emmett and Jasper both had a good laugh over. I'll admit it was pretty funny watching Edward attempt to hide his grimace. I think he hid it well from the human guests, but every vampire felt his pain … and laughed at it. “Only Alice would force a groom to vomit on his wedding day for the sake of tradition,” Emmett had whispered to Jasper.     </p>
<p> I snickered a little to myself at the memory, then turned to Jasper, whispering, "May I have this dance?"</p>
<p>He beamed, taking my hand and leading me to the center of the dance floor. His arms encircled my tiny waist, and I reached up, standing almost on tiptoe, to wrap my arms around his neck. We danced in comfortable silence, feeling the rhythm of the music through the motions of our bodies, moving in time. I breathed in his woodsy scent at the base of his collarbone as he similarly breathed in the scent of my hair. He tells me I smell like raspberries—yum.</p>
<p>Without warning, my eyes became unfocused, and my mind raced into a vision. Only the vision was of nothing. There was a blank void in the woods, making its way toward the reception. And then Edward and Bella’s future disappeared. At first, every time a loved one’s future disappeared, it terrified me. I remember how scared I was the first time I’d seen the hollowness and not known what it was. Now, I knew that the thick void could only be the wolves. I knew rationally it was likely Jacob Black, but the sensation was still jarring.</p>
<p>It had to be Jacob Black because my arrogant brother sent him an invitation to the wedding. I mean, yeah, Edward won the girl, but he didn’t have to rub Jacob’s nose in it. The blank space was now hiding in the trees lining the forest, but it was larger than a single wolf would be, so I guessed he had brought some of his pack with him. I shook my head slightly to refocus. Of course, Jasper noticed.</p>
<p>"What did you see, Alice?" The moment the words left his mouth, their heavy scent permeated the air, and an answer was no longer required.</p>
<p>We looked over to Edward simultaneously. He smelled them too and was looking straight at us. The scent was growing stronger now—they were getting closer on our property. Edward stiffened slightly as I saw him concentrate hard. He was searching for Jacob's thoughts. Jasper and I studied his face, looking for any signs of trouble. After a few long moments, Edward's face softened, and he smiled. I focused on listening to him as he leaned down to Bella's ear and said, "I have a surprise for you." We watched as he led her toward a clearing just beyond the tree line of the forest. No one else noticed their departure.</p>
<p>“The wolves seem peaceful. A little bit of nervous energy, but nothing to be concerned about,” Jasper commented. </p>
<p>I breathed a sigh of relief. When Jacob learned of Edward and Bella's nuptials and her impending change from life to mere existence, he hadn’t taken the news well and had fled La Push. No one was sure if he would ever return. But he and Bella were best friends, and they had a strong connection. I was glad he came back on her special day—it was so important to her.</p>
<p>Edward was returning from the clearing without his bride, leaving her to catch up with Jacob in the woods. He didn’t seem worried. As he approached the edge of the dance floor, I called out to him with my thoughts—Edward. May I have this dance? His eyes found me in the crowd, and he smiled, nodding. I turned to Jasper. "Jazz, I'm going to go dance with Edward, okay?" </p>
<p>He nodded and replied, "Sure. I'm gonna find Emmett." We parted, and I made my way to Edward through the crowds of dancing, laughing people. I was thrilled they seemed to be thoroughly enjoying my party.</p>
<p>I finally got to Edward, and he wrapped me in one of his big brotherly bear hugs. He loosened his tight grip on me, and we started to sway to the music. “Edward, it's great to see you so happy. I'm so excited to officially have Bella as my new sister.” <em>I'm going to have so much fun with her, dressing her up, taking her shopping, talking about you …</em></p>
<p>Edward laughed warmly. "You might have to drag her along on your shopping trips. And don't talk about me! I'll know."</p>
<p>"Not if I don't want you to," I replied smugly. "It worked with the dress, right?"</p>
<p>He groaned. "Yeah, I’ll never get ‘You Should Be Dancin’’ out of my head. Or should I say ou-yay ould-shay e-bay ancin’-day…" Then he sobered and made eye contact. "All joking aside, Alice, you did such a beautiful job with our wedding. Thank you so much. And the flowers"—He beamed ear to ear; I don’t think I’d ever seen him smile that big—"were absolutely perfect."</p>
<p>"I thought you would like that. It's the least I could do for my favorite brother." I smiled sweetly at him.</p>
<p>He returned my smile, but then furrowed his brow sternly. "One thing though. How could you not show Bella what she looked like before sending her down to the ceremony? She had no idea how radiant she looks. She thought she was the plainest girl in the room until I showed her her reflection. She nearly fainted at the sight of herself! Really, I'm surprised at you, Alice."</p>
<p>I gasped in horror. Had I really forgotten to have her admire herself? I felt terrible. He must have read my racing thoughts because he amended his complaint. "It's okay, Alice. I'm just teasing you. Although, I'm still pretty shocked you didn't insist that she admire your hard work." He winked when I sighed in relief, and I swatted his arm. At least he wasn't that angry with me. I vowed silently never to do anything like that again, and he chuckled.</p>
<p>At that moment, Edward stiffened, and I saw Jasper’s head snap up from where he was standing across the room. He started whispering furtively to Emmett just as Edward told me quietly, “Jacob’s upset.” As Edward listened in via Jacob’s thoughts, I struggled to hear the voices in the woods, the sounds of the party overwhelming the more distant voices being swept in different directions by the wind. Then, the voices rose in intensity, and Edward was off, quicker than was prudent, in the direction of the wolves and his undefended bride. Jasper and Emmett had also been trying to listen, and they followed closely behind Edward.</p>
<p>I looked for Rose, who appeared bewildered at Emmett and Jasper's sudden departure. I made my way over to her quickly and filled her in on what little information I knew. We waited silently for the boys to return while the party bustled around us, oblivious to the potential danger just beyond the forest's edge. We waited nervously for what felt like forever, but after about four minutes, they returned to the party with Bella in tow. Edward and Bella went back to the dance floor, but Emmett and Jasper came to us.</p>
<p>Rose couldn't wait to know what had happened and asked immediately. Emmett answered. "It was Jacob. He blew up when Bella told him that she and Edward were going to have a real honeymoon."</p>
<p>"Yeah, lucky we followed him. Jacob looked like he was about to tear Edward to shreds," Jasper added.</p>
<p>"Edward could've taken him down if it came to that,” Emmett commented. “I guess Bella would be upset about that though."</p>
<p>Jasper shuddered. "The level of rage in the environment was almost too much to bear. I tried to calm him down, but Jacob couldn't be persuaded. He ended up running away with the pack."</p>
<p>I sighed in relief. "Well, at least it didn't get too out of hand." I tucked a strand of Jasper's hair behind his ear. "You tried to help."</p>
<p>Rose was bristling. "What a jerk Jacob is, trying to ruin their wedding day. Why'd he even show up, anyway?"</p>
<p>“Rose, you know Jacob loves her. He wants to make her happy, even if she doesn’t choose him,” I explained.</p>
<p>“Poor kid,” Jasper added. “He’s in so deep. He tries to convince himself not to love her, but he can’t stop. It’s like he’s addicted to her.”</p>
<p>“Addicted to pain, more like,” Emmett said.</p>
<p>“Addicted like Edward is,” Rosalie amended. “What the hell is it about that girl that makes people want to love and protect her so badly?”</p>
<p>No one really answered. I mean, Bella was a part of our family, so of course we all wanted to protect her. She had also been friends with the Quileute tribe for much longer, and they wanted her protected too. Even the humans at school seemed to gravitate toward her. What was it about her that drew people in? That was a good question that no one really came up with an answer for. </p>
<p>Emmett raised another concern. "Great, now Edward is gonna be even more nervous about the honeymoon. He'd better go through with it after all those pep talks we gave him last night." He rolled his eyes in Jasper's direction.</p>
<p>Jasper laughed and glanced over at the couple. We all followed his gaze. Our brother and new sister seemed to have put the incident behind them and were dancing very close, kissing passionately between looking longingly into each other's eyes. "All seems to be well," Jasper commented. "The atmosphere in here just got a whole lot lustier." He swallowed hard and glanced my way, those sexy eyes taking on suggestive hooded lids.</p>
<p>My mouth twisted into a half-smile, and I pursed my lips. I returned his sultry gaze, letting him know I could definitely get with that idea as soon as the party was over. With that thought, I realized the party probably <em>should</em> be over, and I grabbed Jasper's wrist to look at his watch. I gasped at the time. "Oh my God, they have a plane to catch!"</p>
<p>I pushed through the crowd until I reached the happy couple, interrupting a sensual kiss. I tapped Bella on the shoulder, perhaps a little too hard. She jolted at the unexpected touch and turned to look at me, her face more than a little annoyed.</p>
<p>"Sorry, you two, but it's time to change for your honeymoon—you have a plane to catch!" I grabbed Bella by the arm, taking care to be gentler, and dragged her upstairs to my room.</p>
<p>Once in the room, I went to the closet and took out the blue slinky getaway dress out of the dry cleaner's plastic for her. Bella had a dreamy look in her eyes. "Oh, Alice, it's beautiful. Edward is going to love this."</p>
<p>I grinned and started helping her out of her wedding gown. "I know. That's why I picked it! Are you excited?"</p>
<p>Bella's eyes seemed to cloud over with lust. "Oh, yes," she whispered. I laughed loudly. "I stocked you well for the honeymoon. Lots of … outfits to choose from." I snickered. She seemed confused. Suddenly, the lusty look left her face, and she frowned.</p>
<p>"I guess it's time to say goodbye to my mom and dad," she said sadly.      </p>
<p>There were no words to be said. This had to be hard for her. None of us had chosen this life. Almost all of the vampires in our family had been on the brink of death when they were changed, and Jasper and I were changed without our consent. She was the only one to choose vampirism, so there was no bit of advice or words of comfort I could provide. I squeezed her shoulders with affection and gently told her, "I know it’ll be hard, but remember that after the change, maybe you can see them again—once you're in control of yourself. Do you want me to check your future and tell you what I can see?"</p>
<p>She shook her head. "No. You'll see that I’ll talk to my parents again because I've already made the decision." She nodded, convincing herself.</p>
<p>I smiled and embraced her tightly. She hugged me back with all of her strength, which still felt feather-light to me. I stepped back and beamed at her. "All right, Mrs. Cullen, it's time to consummate your marriage!" I teased. </p>
<p>“Finally!” she said with a grin, and we headed downstairs hand in hand. Lips twisted in a smirk, Edward met us at the bottom of the stairs and took Bella's eager hand to lead her to Renee. I gave her other hand a squeeze before he took her away and said, "Have fun, you two!"</p>
<p>"Thanks!" Bella called over her shoulder as Edward hustled her over to her mother, ready to just get out of there.</p>
<p>Jasper came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close. I turned in his arms, and my lips met his in a chaste kiss. "Did you put the bags in the Mercedes?" I asked. "Of course I did, dearest," he replied. I leaned up for a deeper kiss but was interrupted as people rushed outside to throw rice at the departing pair. We rushed outside too, just in time to catch a glimpse of Bella, her body hanging half out the window, waving goodbye. We waved back with the rest of the crowd, then headed back to the yard.</p>
<p>Most of the guests were starting to say goodbye to each other while others were dancing to the last few tunes that the band played. Esme and Carlisle and Rose and Emmett were slow dancing, taking advantage of the emptying dance floor. Jasper and I watched them dance, hand in hand. I took my eyes off my family to survey the damage to the house. The mess was tremendous and would certainly keep us very busy tomorrow. Jasper sensed my concern and squeezed my hand. With that squeeze, I immediately felt a wave of calm mixed with desire wash over me. I turned my face up to see his fiery eyes looking down at me longingly, and saw my own reflection in his glazed-over eyes, mirroring his expression. He leaned in close to my ear, his voice husky. "Shall we go upstairs and relive our own honeymoon?"</p>
<p>I sighed happily. He always knew the right thing to say.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>More original content next chapter and beyond – are you interested? Let me know! Even a smiley face is appreciated!</p>
<p>Credit where it is due: The Bee Gees in pig Latin and why it bothers Edward so much is entirely palmofafreezinghand’s idea. It was just too hilarious not to include.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Hunt</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I own none of Twilight. </p><p>This chapter contains direct quotes from Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (Chapter 7)</p><p>Extra special thanks to Alice’s White Rabbit for her impeccable editing and palmofafreezinghand for her fantastic insights.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Edward and Bella had left on their honeymoon five days ago. It pleased me—and made me giggle a bit—when I saw a flash of Edward's decision to tear apart Esme's pillows in place of Bella's neck, just as Jasper had suspected. It seemed things had gone well. Maybe it was kind of gross that I got a vision like that about my brother, but he probably sees all of us en flagrante constantly, so it’s a wash. Besides, I was only seeing him make that decision because there were various outcomes that could have monumental consequences. That type of vision would not be ignored.</p><p>To that end, I saw when Edward noticed the large bruises he had created all over Bella's delicate skin, and I saw when he vowed not to go near her again until she had been changed. Of course, I’d also seen Bella's decision to coerce him, but she hadn't been successful in that yet, the poor girl. While watching Bella's future, I saw another, clearer image of a vampire Bella protecting a child with red eyes, but I had dismissed it as a recurring dream that Bella must be having. My gift can be imprecise at times, and I’ve seen human dreams in the past—it was no shock that Bella would be dreaming of herself as a vampire repeatedly, and it made sense that she might long for a child with Edward, a longing that could definitely manifest itself in her unconscious mind.</p><p>I checked up on their futures once more, and seeing nothing had changed, I decided to ask Rose to come shopping for Bella's closet with me. I’d already seen she would say yes, provided I let her drive and didn't tell her the purpose of the shopping trip until we got there. She really wasn’t fond of Bella.</p><p>Rosalie and I had spent the better part of five hours shopping to fill Bella's closet in the cottage that Esme had built for the happy couple's wedding gift. Esme wanted the closet to be a normal size, but I would have none of that. No sister of mine would have to do with a teeny-weeny closet. I knew Bella hated fashion, but after a few decades living with me, I was sure she would change her mind eventually. Even if ‘eventually’ meant a century …or two. </p><p>Rosalie echoed my thoughts as we sifted through a rack of glamorous designer gowns. "Why are you even bothering?" she asked through gritted teeth. "It's not like she's going to appreciate it."</p><p>I sighed. "She might not appreciate it now, but she will in time."</p><p>Rosalie rolled her eyes. "I highly doubt Miss Plain Jane will ever care."</p><p>"Rose, what do you have against Bella? She's my best friend and your sister now. It can't just be because she's choosing this life over her human life. She has every right to choose what path she wants to take." I knew full  well why Rosalie hated Bella. Edward told me once, but I would never tell Rose to her face that I knew. I'd rather not start World War Three, thanks anyway.</p><p>Again, it was as though Rosalie read my mind. "Please, Alice. Don't pretend like Edward hasn't told you. You two are like this"—she crossed her fingers right in front of my nose, her voice dripping with venom.</p><p>Well, I couldn't really deny it now. "I guess you just weren't his type," I said without thinking. Uh-oh.</p><p>Rosalie glared daggers at me. "No, apparently that boy has as much taste as a dog." She growled that last word and smirked at her little joke.</p><p>I sighed again, much more deeply this time. "Well, you shouldn't care anyway. You've got Emmett." Now time to change the subject, and fast. "Let's head home, Rose. My Porsche has been making an odd noise. I'd really like you to take a look at it for me." I knew she couldn't resist a little car maintenance, especially when it came to the Porsche.</p><p>Her eyes lit up. "Oh, really? Tell me exactly the driving conditions when you heard it."</p><p><em>Crisis averted</em>, I thought. I made up some story I hoped sounded plausible as we headed back to the car.</p><p>When we got home, Rosalie headed straight for the garage. I made my way to the cottage with the mountain of bags slung over my shoulder. I’d seen earlier that Jasper decided to help Esme finish shingling the roof, and I wanted to stash Bella's new wardrobe in the closet anyway.</p><p>Jasper greeted me as soon as he smelled me approaching. "Hey, babe. Back so soon?" He grinned ear to ear when I emerged from the tree line, shaking his head when he saw the amount of clothing I was hauling. "You do know this is a fruitless effort, don't you?" he asked with a chuckle. Esme chuckled with him.</p><p>"Yeah, yeah. You'll see. She'll love it." I smiled sweetly, then playfully bared my teeth at them and headed inside.</p><p>Once I’d finished organizing the closet and cataloguing in my head what items were still missing, I realized I was extremely thirsty. How long had it been since I last hunted? It may have been just before the wedding. Jesus, my throat was killing me now that I thought about it. How did I make it through the shopping trip like this? Damn.</p><p>Jasper felt my strong thirst and came to find me. "Feel like hunting, precious?" he drawled.</p><p>I nodded. He took my hand, and we were off like a shot, giving a wave to Esme as we ran deep into the forest. A few miles out, we simultaneously caught the scent of a herd of deer. Instinct took over, and we dropped our hands, assuming the predatory position and creeping toward the herd. The wind blew slightly, and I caught the delicious scent of the carnivore just before Jazz did. Mountain lion. Stalking the herd just like we were. We all loved a good mountain lion as much as Edward did, but he always claimed them since he was so much faster than the rest of us. I wasn't about to give this one up. I dashed toward it at top speed.</p><p>I was vaguely aware of Jasper following me. I knew he wanted the mountain lion just as much, but I also knew he'd let me have it. Jasper always gave me whatever I wanted, no matter what. I felt a small pang of guilt for taking advantage of that knowledge, but I didn't linger on the feeling. Jazz would know if I did.</p><p>There he was. I pounced and landed right on the beast's back, taking it completely by surprise. I smelled his adrenaline-soaked blood pumping through his jugular hard and fast, and before he even had the chance to try to buck me off, I sank my teeth into his neck, sucking his blood down ferociously. <em>Damn, that's good</em>, I thought, my eyes rolling back in my head. As I lapped up the last remaining drops from the wound on the great cat's neck, I was overtaken by a vision.</p><p>
  <em>Black negligee. Bella chose the black negligee. Edward staring at her, his eyes heavy with lust. The negligee being torn from Bella's body. Passionate kisses, touches, grinding. Joining together. An earth-shattering climax. Esme's broken headboard. Panting, sweating, sleep. Guess Bella gets her way after all.</em>
</p><p>I shook my head to clear the vision. I swallowed hard, realizing the vision had aroused me. I felt a little ashamed by my reaction to seeing my best friend and favorite brother in such a compromising position. It wasn’t my fault these were all huge decisions tied to the outcomes of their lives! Truthfully, it wasn't uncommon for me to get aroused when I saw visions of my other family members making decisions that led to sex. I guess at this point I was used to it with the others. But this was my first really clear vision of Edward and Bella, and I felt a little bit like I was spying. But damn, if that wasn't hot. I shuddered a little, remembering his cock sliding into her, and my panties dampened some more.</p><p>Of course, Jasper didn't miss any of this. He was already feeling horny, watching me kill that mountain lion, but now he could feel my lust searing through my body and smell the scent of my sex hanging heavy in the air. He approached me quickly, kneeling in front of my face next to the drained cat, his cock straining against his jeans.</p><p>"What did you see?" he asked, his voice husky.</p><p>"Bella won." I grabbed him by the ass and pulled him closer to my face. With my teeth, I grasped his zipper and pulled it down swiftly. He growled like the animal I knew him to be. Taking one hand off his ass but gripping firmly with the other, I pulled his jeans down to reveal him in all his glory, the only part of him unmarked by scars. I flicked my tongue over the tip before taking him deeply into my throat. Nothing tastes sweeter than my husband's cock, not even blood. Jasper groaned loudly but grabbed my head roughly and pulled my mouth up to his.</p><p>"I can't take that right now," he gasped. "I need to be inside you—NOW."</p><p>I whimpered with need as he pushed me with just the right amount of force so that I was lying against the dead cat. He roughly yanked up my dress and ducked his head between my legs. I heard him inhale deeply, making me moan and writhe, needing to feel his tongue against my soft pink folds. As if he read my mind, he tore the panties off me with his teeth, spitting them to the side, and rushed back to me, his tongue lapping at my now swollen clit. I cried out as he sucked hard on it for a few moments. God, I was close, and he could smell it.</p><p>"Jasper, please! I need you right now!" I screamed.</p><p>He resurfaced, bent my legs up to rest on his shoulders, and plunged into me up to the hilt. The incredible sensation of being completely filled left me shaking. He loved to tease me though. He pulled almost completely out before ramming all the way in again, lifting my ass to get even deeper. With each thrust, he managed to get deeper and deeper, and I scraped my nails up his back and across his shoulders as I screamed for him to finish me off.</p><p>With one final, devastating thrust, I came so hard I'm positive Esme heard me screaming back at the cottage. Jasper came seconds later, growling that feral snarl that only a warrior could make. As we laid against the cat carcass, still entwined in every way, he whispered to me, "So ... which was better?"</p><p>I grinned widely and answered him with a deep and soulful kiss. Jasper was my sexy soldier from the wrong side of history. Sometimes, if I thought about his human years fighting to keep people oppressed and how he’d spent most of his vampire years tearing other vampires apart, I’d start to feel a little sick and wonder how I could love a person who was capable of those things, but then I would feel a sudden rush of love and remember that my love is what changed him.  He had done horrible things in his lifetime, both human and vampire, but ultimately, he rejected his past. He’d been entrenched in war and hate and depression, and when we finally crossed paths, he said I turned a light on inside him. All the memories and sadness melted away when I smiled at him in that diner. He believed I saved his soul. But I’m just that kind of girl. Fun loving and easy-going, maybe a little intense sometimes about the things I’m really interested in—like sports cars and the stock market and fashion designers and fashion week and fashion models—oh, okay, I’m doing it again, sorry.</p><p>Whatever influence Jasper wants to believe saved him is fine by me though because he did it all with his own conviction and desire to be different than the way he was. There will always be a part of him, no matter how small it might be, that still longs for blood and death though. This lifestyle wasn’t always the easiest adjustment for him, but he’d been doing a lot better since the paper cut incident. Jasper is what I would liken to a recovering alcoholic. It’s a daily struggle to resist, and sometimes, you fall off the wagon. I get that, and when he inevitably slips, I accept it. It’s not like I was some saint. Before I had a vision of Carlisle and Edward drinking some deer, I drank plenty of humans.</p><p>“Wanna hear one of the big decisions I saw on the island?” I asked conspiratorially.</p><p>Jasper nodded into my hair and scoffed. “Sure.” </p><p>Edward would understand. He knows I tell Jasper everything. “Before they got in bed, Edward warmed himself up in the ocean.”</p><p>“Oh, yeah!” Jasper exclaimed. “Yeah, we talked about that at the bachelor party. Carlisle suggested it. So he wouldn’t be so cold when they were, you know, skin to skin.” It was still kind of awkward and foreign for both Jasper and I to think of Edward in sexual terms. I guess after so long not thinking of our brother that way—like, never ever—it was kind of a disconcerting thought that he was actually getting laid.</p><p>“Come on let’s go back. We kind of ditched out on Esme back there,” Jasper said with resignation. Silently, we rose and adjusted our clothing. </p><p>“I don’t know, Jazz, I don’t want to face Esme yet. I was pretty loud.”</p><p>Jasper grinned. “That you were, ma’am.”</p><p>I smiled at his charming face and told him, “Esme will understand. We’re going back to the house.”</p><p>And just like always, Jasper did what I wanted.</p><p>~~~~~~~~~</p><p>Back at the house, Rosalie and Emmett were watching TV, and I heard Carlisle upstairs in his study, turning pages. Jasper and I sat down on the opposite couch. “What are we watching?” Jasper asked. </p><p>Rosalie shrugged and rolled her eyes. “American Idol auditions.”</p><p>“That’s still on the air?” I asked in shock.</p><p>“Apparently,” Rose answered. “Anyway, this one can’t resist the auditions.” She indicated Emmett. “He likes the bad, cringy ones.” </p><p>Emmett defended himself. “Come on, babe, they’re hilarious. They’re hilarious! Right guys? Aren’t they hilarious?”</p><p>“Yes, Emmett,” Jasper and I chorused, and we all laughed. </p><p>The laughter died on my lips as I was gripped by another vision.</p><p>
  <em>The child with red eyes. Vampire Bella protecting it. Darkness with swirls of muted light, like swimming underwater. Edward's grieving face. </em>
</p><p>And then Bella’s future went blank. No. No, it can't be. It just can't be. But it was real. It wasn't my imagination—it was real.</p><p>Jasper was shaking me, shouting my name. I came back to myself and found all four of them staring at me with fear in their eyes. Carlisle must have rushed down to the living room when he heard the commotion.</p><p>“Alice?” Carlisle asked. “Are you okay?”</p><p>Jasper asked, “What did you see?”</p><p>I struggled to compose myself, gulping air that I didn’t need. “It’s Bella! Oh, God!” I cried out, still in shock.</p><p>“Alice, please!” Carlisle pleaded with some authority.</p><p>I couldn’t tell them what I saw. It was simply not believable. It had to be my brain twisting what it was seeing. My gift wasn’t perfect, and I saw really strange things sometimes. I couldn’t tell Carlisle about Edward’s grief. Edward had already lived through a lot of pain in his immortal life, and if Bella died, Carlisle would feel personally responsible for Edward’s pain and never forgive himself for turning Edward. But I couldn’t lie to him either.</p><p>Swallowing, I responded. “I saw Bella as a vampire. But then I saw dark swirls overlaying, like she was underwater? Then her future blanked out.”  </p><p>Everyone gasped, and Carlisle’s face crumpled. “Bella drowned?” Emmett asked like he didn’t want to believe it.</p><p>“I don’t know! I’m going to call Edward.”</p><p>Frantically, I fished my phone out of my pocket and dialed Edward’s number. The phone kept ringing out and going to voicemail, but I hit redial over and over until, finally, someone answered the phone.</p><p>"Hi, Alice." </p><p>It was Bella, and we all gave a collective sigh of relief. If Bella was answering, then she wasn’t dead, but I still couldn’t see her!  </p><p>"Bella? Bella, are you okay?" I asked desperately, so relieved she was alive, but confused by what my visions were telling me. This was getting scary, because it was eerily similar to when she had jumped off that cliff and I thought she was dead, only she’d been with a wolf. But there was no way that a wolf was on the island with them. Or was there? Jacob had left the wedding in a distressed and angry state; could he have somehow followed them and done something to Edward? Was that why Edward hadn’t answered the phone? Of course, I thought all of these things in the few seconds before she replied. </p><p>"Yeah. Um. Is Carlisle there?" </p><p>No way was I handing over the phone just yet. I’d been the one to experience the horrifying vision, and I would be the first to know what caused it, damn it. "He is. What's the problem?"</p><p> "I'm not ... one hundred percent ... sure ..." she stammered. </p><p>"Is Edward all right?" I asked, my concern clear in my voice. "Why didn't he pick up the phone?" </p><p>"I'm not sure."</p><p>This was going nowhere, and I was beginning to get frustrated. "Bella, what's going on? I just saw—" </p><p>"What did you see?" she asked urgently. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that another one of my visions of her death didn’t happen, so I just said, “Here’s Carlisle,” and handed him the phone. </p><p>He began talking immediately. "Bella, it's Carlisle. What's going on?" </p><p>We all listened as Bella replied, "I'm a little worried about Edward ... Can vampires go into shock?" </p><p>Carlisle’s eyes grew wide, and they darted to each of us in alarm. "Has he been harmed?" </p><p>"No, no," Bella said quickly. "Just ... taken by surprise." </p><p>“Surprised that he liked getting laid?” Emmett joked low enough so Bella wouldn’t hear, and we all chuckled quietly except for Carlisle, who rolled his eyes at us.</p><p>Carlisle sighed with frustration. Bella wasn’t being very forthcoming. "I don't understand, Bella." </p><p>"I think ... well, I think that ... maybe ... I might be … Pregnant."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: Dun, dun, DUN! Well, the next chapter will be entirely comprised of missing moments, so yay, new content.<br/>Are you enjoying Alice’s voice? Did you catch what Alice’s drowning vision was actually of?<br/>Thank you for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Choosing Sides</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, and there are no direct quotes from Breaking Dawn in this chapter.</p><p>As always, huge thanks to the lovely palmofafreezinghand and Alice's White Rabbit for their invaluable assistance.</p><p>Note: SMeyer's vampire physiology doesn't make a lot of sense. I did my best to explain how the heck Edward might have gotten Bella pregnant.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Visions Interrupted <br/>Chapter 4: Choosing Sides</p><p> </p><p>“I might be ... Pregnant.”</p><p>Bella’s statement seemed to echo through the silent room as everyone stood stock-still, shocked by the revelation.</p><p>Bella started to describe her symptoms to Carlisle, and they certainly sounded like signs of pregnancy that I’d read about and seen in movies. Soon, Edward got on the phone, and Carlisle paced around the room at vampire speed; I searched and searched, but all I could see was that maddening blankness.  Through my daze, I could hear Carlisle telling Edward to bring Bella back home as soon as possible. </p><p>When he hung up the phone, Carlisle turned to look at us. Jasper was trying to exude calm, but his own fear, compounded by everyone else's, was making it ineffective. We all stared at each other for a few moments before Rosalie sprang to life. She got to her feet and headed for the door. “I’ve got to get Esme,” she murmured before taking off at a run. Emmett followed her out the door. I felt bad for Rosalie. All she ever wanted was a family of her own. Now Bella was pregnant, something Rosalie could never be but she longed for with all of her being.</p><p>But this wasn’t your ordinary pregnancy; this was grotesque, a mockery of life. If there really was a creature inside her, it was sired by a dark creature. As much as we Cullens did our best to be good and respect humanity, the truth was that we weren’t the norm for vampires, and this creature wouldn’t be conditioned to our chosen lifestyle. It would want what all dark creatures want deep down—blood, death, and destruction. The thing was going to suck the life from her; Bella would surely be killed. I couldn't wrap my mind around the distinct possibility I might lose my best friend, and that if she died, Edward would undoubtedly follow her.</p><p>“Is this actually possible, Carlisle?” I asked timidly. I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer.</p><p>The man Edward called Father looked like he was going to crack. “I don’t know. I’ve never heard of this …” He trailed off, looking lost for a few moments.</p><p>“No, Carlisle,” Jasper said vehemently. “You have nothing to feel guilty about.”</p><p>“Jasper, don’t you remember? I was the one who suggested the warm ocean water.      What if it woke up his dormant sperm?"</p><p>My mate scoffed. "That's ludicrous, Carlisle. What sperm? Even if some survived the change, he wouldn’t have it anymore. He may have been a virgin, but I doubt he never got himself off before."</p><p>"Be that as it may, we only ejaculate venom. Any sperm inside the testes would have been frozen in the change just like everything else," Carlisle explained. "Haven't you heard of cryogenics, vitrification? Where bodies are frozen on ice to be thawed and reanimated later?”</p><p>“But that doesn’t really work. It’s just wishful thinking.” Jasper smirked.</p><p>“For humans, yes. But for vampires, well, who knows. I can’t think of another explanation.”</p><p>“Well, there was no way you could know, Carlisle. This isn’t your fault,” Jasper assured him.</p><p>“Thank you, son.”</p><p>My guts constricted while they talked. I HAD seen something like this—what I had thought was Bella’s nightmare. Obviously, it wasn’t a dream but a vision of her future. I could have prevented this. I should have mentioned what I thought were her dreams to Edward if they were profound enough to affect her future. I don’t know what he would have done with that information. Would he have brushed it off just like I had? Even if he did, at least my conscience would be clear. I should have bought the damned condoms—the box was in my hands! But I put them back, and now my best friend was going to die because of this alien parasite, and it was all my fault.</p><p>"Alice, what do you have to feel guilty about?" Jasper asked, his arm gently encircling my shoulders.</p><p>"I saw something like this. It was a vision of Bella as a vampire, protecting a child with red eyes. I just thought it was a dream though! You know how sometimes I see impactful dreams? That’s what I thought. Because this isn’t possible. This isn’t supposed to be possible.” My explanation ended in a whisper, my disbelief palpable.</p><p>Just then, Esme burst through the door, quickly followed by Emmett and Rose.</p><p>“Carlisle!” she cried out at the sight of him and ran into his waiting embrace. “It couldn't really be possible, could it? What will we do?”</p><p>“I’ll have to remove it," he replied firmly. </p><p>There were several audible gasps in the room, but mine was not one of them. I was stunned silent.</p><p>“Edward wants it out of her,” he continued. “It is neither human nor vampire. Alice can’t see it, and it has erased any future for Bella.”</p><p>My body sagged under the weight of my inability to see, and Jasper’s arm tightened around my shoulders in support. I leaned into his side, and he kissed the top of my head gently.</p><p>Esme looked to me for confirmation, and I nodded rapidly, unable to find the words to explain my failings again. </p><p>“But what does Bella want?” Esme questioned Carlisle, pulling away from him to look into his eyes, and we all glanced around at each other. Nobody knew what Bella wanted because nobody asked. Who needed to ask? Of course she wouldn’t want to gestate a monster.</p><p>Rosalie was still as a statue, standing behind the couch where Emmett was seated. Both were expressionless, which didn’t compute with me. I knew Rosalie didn’t like Bella, but how could she be so cold and silent on the matter? She’d been the one to run off to get Esme from the cottage, so she knew how serious the situation was, and yet she didn’t seem to have a reaction.</p><p>“She can’t want to keep it! It could kill her! She never even wanted kids!” I cried, surprised any of them had to pause to think about this. Esme stared down at the floor, and Emmett avoided my gaze when I looked to him.  “I can’t help her. I can’t see.” I moaned, clutching the sides of my head in frustration.</p><p>“We can’t know what it is,” Carlisle agreed. “Whatever it is can already move, Bella said so herself, and they’ve only been gone for two weeks. It’s growing fast and will overwhelm her human body. If it’s already moving, there's no telling what it's capable of, but one thing is certain ... Bella isn’t strong enough to carry it and survive.”</p><p>Rosalie's eyes tightened slightly, but otherwise she stood silent. I found it odd that she had nothing to add. This seemed like something she would have an opinion on.<br/>Esme nodded solemnly at his words, but I thought I saw her and Rosalie exchange a strange glance. </p><p>“Maybe it will burst out of her stomach, like in Alien!” Emmett joked, and Rosalie smacked him upside the head. No one laughed because, like, yeah, maybe it would.</p><p>My stomach clenched with stress. I hated not knowing what was going to happen. I felt a terrible sense of déjà vu. I’d lost sight of Bella before and thought she was dead because the wolf had blinded me. And again, I’d been afraid for the battle with the newborns since I couldn’t see the outcome with the wolves present. The dread of not knowing was an unwelcome change in my life these past two years. It was disconcerting and foreign to have to wonder and worry like everyone else.</p><p>Jasper’s arm dropped from around my shoulders as he stepped forward. “If it grows this fast, it’ll probably survive the procedure. I’ll make sure it’s taken care of after you remove it.” He stood tall and proud as he announced his offer. My chest tightened as I started to wonder what kind of man would volunteer for such a grim task and with something that looked like excitement shining bright in his eyes.      </p><p>Jasper returned to his place beside me, and his arm wound around my shoulders once more. As quickly as my disgust began, it was replaced by a rush of devotion washing over me, and I wondered instead how I could ever doubt my love—he was only doing what no one else wanted to do. He was bravely doing a dreaded service, taking it off everyone else’s shoulders. He would never get pleasure out of killing.</p><p>Carlisle’s tense countenance relaxed. “Thank you, Jasper. That’s very noble of you.” </p><p>“How long until they land?” Esme asked.</p><p>Carlisle shrugged and looked to me.</p><p>I searched in my mind to see if I could at least find Edward there, and I did find him, but the image was all blurry because Bella was with him. I concentrated hard, trying to decipher the images, but only succeeding in giving myself a headache. Another vision came to me of all of us in this very room, only it was filled with hospital equipment. The blurred images soon faded into static, and the tension in my temples intensified. Swallowing hard, I opened my eyes to Carlisle looking at me sympathetically. </p><p>“Still nothing, Alice?”</p><p>“No,” I whispered. I’d never felt like such a failure in my whole life, as far as I could remember anyway. My visions were everything. The family had come to rely on them, and so had I. Without their guidance, we all felt lost and anxious. We weren’t used to facing the future unprepared.</p><p>“That’s all right,” Carlisle reassured me before answering Esme’s question. “Their arrival time depends on whether Edward can secure a private jet quickly. If not, they’ll fly commercial, so it could be several hours yet. We should prepare a room for the removal.”</p><p>“Say it!” Rosalie spat, breaking her silence. “Say the word, Carlisle. Abortion.” Rosalie would never miss an opportunity to make Carlisle doubt his decisions. She always had to remind him that he never gave any of them a choice, and that she hated what she saw as his God complex.</p><p>Emmett rubbed her arms in support and kept his mouth shut. He was such a good husband to her. He’d never say anything to challenge her opinions.</p><p>Carlisle breathed in deeply before responding. “Yes. Abortion. Of the unknown entity.” He caught her gaze, and she returned it with a cold stare. “It’s not a baby, Rosalie.” <br/>Rosalie crossed her arms, and her face showed her displeasure, but she didn’t speak further.</p><p>My eyes unfocused, and I desperately scanned our futures, but since we would all soon be in Bella’s company, every image was too blurry to make out. I was so frustrated. The backs of my eyes pricked, and I wished I could produce a liquid to relieve the ache. I knew this was called crying, but since I couldn’t remember what my human life was like, I had no idea what the sensation truly felt like. Still, I imagined it was a blessed release of pressure and stress. I longed for that in this moment. My best friend was as good as dead if we didn’t get that thing out fast enough, and I was terrified to the core. I loved Bella. She was the antithesis of me. Where I was outgoing and spirited, she was demure and unassuming. She brought me down to earth, and I brought her out of her comfort zone. We were polar opposites, but we were like yin and yang—our personality types balanced one another. It just felt like we fit together in a strange way. Whatever it meant, it compelled me to her, and she to me. I didn’t want to lose her.</p><p>Several hours passed in which I scanned my visions while the others planned how to get some necessary equipment fast so the creature could be removed as soon as possible. From the snippets I heard, it would take a couple of days to secure everything Carlisle needed to safely operate on Bella. I just hoped a couple of days wasn’t too late because my visions revealed nothing. All I saw was the blurry picture of us all in this very living room that contained medical equipment, but no Bella. Where Bella should be lying on the operating table, there was a blank space, a shimmering mess of static, and I could see nothing beyond it. It was physically painful to try to look. Jasper sat by me, rubbed my back and held my hand, trying to soothe the pain I felt, but nothing took it away. I had to actively try not to look for Bella’s future to make the pain lessen to a bearable and functional level.</p><p>Soon, it was time to leave for the airport. Of course Carlisle and Esme would go to pick them up—he to assess Bella’s condition immediately, and she to comfort the both of them. I loved Bella too and needed to see her for myself, and Edward was my closest friend in the whole coven, so of course I was going, and if I was going, it was assumed Jasper would accompany me for moral support. But I was surprised that Rose and Emmett wanted to come with us. They followed Carlisle’s Mercedes to SEA-TAC in Edward’s Aston Martin. </p><p>Standing in the baggage claim area, I realized that the group of us would look very familiar to Edward because the family had all come to meet us when we had returned from Italy as well. Only this time, I was on this side of things. We stood close together among the throng of humans, coupled off but still an obvious group. Nobody spoke; we just stared at the arrivals monitors, our eyes darting from them to the escalators that brought the passengers down from their terminals. Carlisle looked like he was trying to hide his anxiety, but his fingers tapped against his thigh, a very human fidget that had become ingrained in him over time. Esme played with her hair nervously, twisting it between her fingers. Emmett stood with his arms crossed over his chest, and Rosalie was in front of him, her jaw set with what looked like determination. I clutched Jasper's hand tightly in anticipation of seeing my new sister in whatever state she was in. I hated not knowing, so I tried to see again, but the blankness I got in return for my efforts spiked my anxiety even more. </p><p>And then I saw them get on the descending escalator. Edward looked incredibly anxious for the crowded contraption to just get them down to us already. Bella didn’t look different or worse for wear, maybe a little tired and definitely a lot nervous. She chewed on her lip as she stood on the step next to Edward. As soon as they got off the escalator, Bella took off at a run, straight into Rosalie’s outstretched arms. My eyes sought Edward’s as he tried to approach at a human pace, but his gaze was transfixed, both pissed off and confused.</p><p>When he got to us, he hissed, "Bella, what the hell?" </p><p>Rosalie's arms circled Bella's shoulders tighter, pulling her closer, and Bella's eyes filled with tears. "I called her, Edward. I’m sorry. I want to keep it." </p><p>He looked confused for a few more seconds until what she was saying dawned on him. "Keep it? We don't even know what 'it' is!" His voice was rising dangerously, and Carlisle firmly clamped a hand on his shoulder. "Let's discuss it at home." Edward seethed but said nothing, trying to catch Bella's eyes, but she was looking down at the floor, actively avoid his gaze. "Can I ride with you, Rosalie?" she whispered. </p><p>"Of course,” Rosalie reassured her. “Jasper, will you come too?" Under her breath so that we would hear but Bella wouldn’t, she added, "You can help keep her calm." </p><p>"Sure," he agreed without hesitating, giving me a squeeze before following after them. Emmett shared a long look with Edward, obviously communicating to him in his mind before he turned and followed the others to the parking garage.</p><p>Edward started to walk toward the garage too, but Carlisle stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Let’s wait a few minutes for them to leave first. Tensions are high, and we can’t risk exposure if there’s a fight.” </p><p>Edward conceded, but he wasn’t happy about it. Carlisle was Edward’s creator, and Edward viewed him as a father figure, his true father having been absent for most of his life. Carlisle was also the coven leader, and we all listened when Carlisle demanded something of us. His influence was never obvious or imposing, but there was an undercurrent of authority that left you uneasy about crossing him. </p><p>Esme wrapped Edward up in a hug. She really did feel like he was her own son, and she hated to see him hurting. He accepted the hug, and they continued to hold each other as the minutes ticked by. We had to look suspicious, two people hugging but not moving and two other people just staring as they stood stock-still like statues, but the four of us were too rattled to realize we were doing a poor job of blending in. Luckily, the humans around us were otherwise occupied and didn’t notice.</p><p>After what felt like forever, Carlisle declared, “I think that’s been long enough,” and we headed to the car. Carlisle took the driver’s seat, Esme the front passenger’s, and Edward and I got in the back. As soon as Carlisle left the parking garage and got on the highway, Edward turned to me and unleashed his fury.</p><p>“How could you not see this, Alice? You’re supposed to be looking out for her!” </p><p>I tried not to think about the vision of Bella shielding a vampire child, but my usual defenses against his mind reading were weakened by my angst, and it sprang to the forefront of my mind. </p><p>“You knew?” he snarled, lips pulled back to reveal clenched teeth, his eyes black with his barely concealed anger. I knew this was coming from a place of fear, and he was lashing out at the only person he could—he wouldn’t really hurt me, right? His body was tensed like he was ready to pounce on me, and I had to fight the urge to cower in the corner of the backseat. </p><p>Carlisle’s voice came to my defense from the front seat. “Back off now, Edward, before I’m forced to make you!” </p><p>Reluctantly, he lowered his lips but didn’t relax his posture. Quickly, I tried to explain. “Edward, I didn’t think it was real! I thought it was a nightmare. You know I sometimes see dreams if they affect the human enough.”</p><p>I showed him the truth in my mind with my memories, and he sighed, his whole countenance slumping with defeat.</p><p> “Yes, Alice, I know. Of course you wouldn’t believe it was real. Who would have? I’m so sorry.” </p><p>“It’s okay, Edward. I understand. I’m scared too. I can’t see anything.  As soon as the fetus developed enough to have a consciousness, Bella’s future was gone. That’s why I called! I was afraid she was dead!”</p><p>He pinched the bridge of his nose as he often did when he was frustrated. “She will be if we don’t get it out of her.”</p><p>“But she wants to keep it,” Carlisle muttered, staring at the expanse of road ahead.</p><p>“Which is utterly insane! She’s not in her right mind. We have to do something,” Edward insisted.</p><p>“Rosalie’s involved now. I don’t see how we get past her.” If there was anybody Carlisle was afraid to cross, it was Rosalie. “Bella was smart to call her to be her bodyguard. Didn’t you have any idea she wanted to keep it?”</p><p>"No, I had no idea. She was really quiet on the way home, but I thought she was afraid. I didn't realize she was just strengthening her resolve." He leaned against the back of the seat, running his hands through his hair and tugging at it, another symptom of his anxiety.</p><p>"Well, we'll just have to convince her it isn't a real baby,” I insisted. “We can't just sit back and let her die!"</p><p>"Yes, we'll explain all the things that could go wrong, and hopefully, she'll change her mind,” Carlisle agreed.</p><p>Edward gritted his teeth. "Rosalie is probably filling her head with fantasies of motherhood as we speak." </p><p>Esme, who had been silently staring out the passenger window until now, must have let a thought slip that Edward didn't like because his head snapped in her direction, and he emitted a deep growl.</p><p>Carlisle reacted with a menacing growl of his own, ready to protect his mate. Esme put a hand on Carlisle’s thigh to calm him, then turned in her seat to look at her son.</p><p>"I'm sorry, Edward, but it's possible she won't be swayed. Your whole perspective changes once you feel life growing inside you. That feeling made me make decisions I would never have been brave enough to without it. A mother will go through great lengths to protect her child."</p><p>"It's not a child!" Edward cried.</p><p>Esme was unfazed by Edward’s assertion. "We don't know what it is. But you and Bella created it through the expression of your love. There’s little chance she won't want to keep it."</p><p>Edward moaned in response, falling back against the seat and squeezing his eyes shut.</p><p>"We'll see," I added, trying to diffuse the situation. "Once we explain the inherent danger, surely she'll choose to stay alive with Edward and not die for an unknown, probably demonic entity.”</p><p>No one answered me, and they didn’t really need to. Carlisle, Edward, and I had our plan. Saying anything more wouldn’t get us anywhere, and no one wanted to fight with Esme, so the car went silent for the rest of the drive.</p><p>xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx</p><p>When we got back to the house, Jasper was waiting for me outside. I’d missed him during that tense drive home, and I wondered how he fared in the car with the other three. After a kiss, we headed toward our bedroom so we could talk semi-privately. We had to pass Rosalie and Emmett’s room where Bella was already squirreled away—Rosalie inside with her, and Emmett standing guard outside the door. But that didn’t stop Edward from trying to get past him, and Emmett was now pressing two fingers to Edward’s chest and pushing him away.</p><p>“Sorry, bro. No boys allowed.”</p><p>“I can’t see my wife?”</p><p>Emmett’s resolve wavered, but he stood strong. Bella started softly crying from behind the door. </p><p>“She isn’t ready to see you yet,” Rosalie spat from inside.</p><p>Edward’s face fell, and we continued past. I didn’t want to see any more of Edward’s heartbreak. I wanted a few moments alone with Jasper to find out what happened in the car with Bella.</p><p>Once we were in our room with the door closed, he took my hands in his and stared into my eyes. “Listen, Alice. I know you’re afraid for Bella’s life. I am too. That thing is a foreign body that needs to be removed.”</p><p>There was more—I felt it. “But?” I prompted.</p><p>He inhaled a steadying breath. “She loves it. I felt her emotions toward the fetus, and they were profound. Removing it would devastate her, and she’d likely become a shell of herself, like Marcus.”</p><p>I thought back to the Marcus I met back in Italy. Edward had told me of his history after we’d come home, how his mate had been murdered, but it was plain to anyone that he was a man who merely went through the motions of existence, doing the bare minimum to survive, feeling nothing but emptiness. “She really feels so strongly for it? Already?”</p><p>“Think about it, Al. To her, this baby is a miracle beyond her imagining. Beyond anyone’s imagining! And yet, here it is, the evidence of hers and Edward’s love, growing inside her. If it gets taken from her against her wishes, the grief will break her. Think of Esme. Think of Rose. We didn’t see their struggles firsthand, but they suffer to this day from their heartbreak. I feel it. Bella would end up the same way. Eternally tortured.”</p><p>His words struck a chord in me, and I knew he was right, but I didn’t want to accept it. “But she loves Edward. Surely, she knows this could kill her, and then she would leave Edward alone to mourn her for eternity. Or more likely, kill himself.” Italy was evidence enough of that.</p><p>“Of course she knows that, darlin’, and she’s afraid of that. But she thinks he’ll live on for the sake of the child.”</p><p>I shook my head. “For the sake of the demon, you mean. It’s not a child, Jasper. It’s unnatural.” </p><p>He paused for several long moments as he looked into my eyes. I felt an earnestness radiating from him when he finally found the words to speak again. “I won't voice an opinion against you to the others, darlin, but you need to know I don't agree. I’ll still kill the fetus if it kills Bella if it’s born a horrifying demon, and I will always defend you in a fight. But I won’t say anything in support of the abortion because the Bella it will leave behind will only be a shell of the Bella who is your best friend. More than anything, she needs your support now.”</p><p>I dropped his hands and batted them away as I sped out the door. I was pissed. Jasper was supposed to back me up no matter what. He wouldn’t speak against me in front of the others, but knowing he didn’t truly stand beside me on this hurt a lot. The truth was he felt too much empathy for Bella while he was in that car with her, and now he couldn’t see past the emotions she was projecting. Vampires couldn’t produce children, yet Edward had impregnated Bella. I couldn’t see the fetus, so it was neither a vampire like Edward nor a human like Bella. So, what did that leave? I was afraid what the answer might be.</p><p>I headed to Carlisle’s study for reassurance. Surely Carlisle was on Edward’s and my side. And maybe Emmett, but he would be no help. Rosalie’s priorities were his priorities, and even if he was on our side, he was going to openly support her no matter what he felt. I rapped on Carlisle’s door, and he bade me enter. Esme’s scent was still heavy in the room; she must have just left.</p><p>Approaching his desk, I put both hands on it and leaned toward him. “Carlisle, you have to do something. Knock her out and remove it. She'll be upset, but maybe the fetus will look demonic, and we can show her, and she'll finally understand why we had to do this. She’ll come around. This is her life we're talking about here! My best friend. Edward’s wife!”</p><p>Carlisle sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose like Edward often did when he was resigning himself to something. I began to shake my head as he said, “Your best friend, Edward’s wife, my new daughter. I’m sorry, Alice, but you know I can't force her.”</p><p>“What do you mean? You would let her die?” I asked in disbelief.</p><p>"It's Bella's choice, and she has chosen. Esme explained to me what Bella is feeling toward the fetus. And she also reminded me of a woman’s right to choose what happens to her body, and as a man, I really have no say in the matter.”</p><p>I knew this sudden change of heart had to be Esme's influence because he had been gung-ho on Edward's side about plans to abort it while we were in the car. But just like all the men in this house, he couldn’t go against his wife, even if he did feel differently. </p><p>Now I was getting desperate. Why was everyone so willing to watch Bella die? “What about the Hippocratic Oath? You promised to do no harm, but doing nothing will harm her!” </p><p>“I understand how you feel, and I don’t like it either,” he answered calmly. “But whether I agree or not, it’s Bella’s decision. I can’t force her. Medically, it’s unethical.”</p><p>“Really, Carlisle?”</p><p>He just looked at me and didn’t answer, which was answer enough.  Betrayal shot through me. Carlisle was the only one who could save Bella from this demon, and he was refusing. How could he be so selfish? Was he so afraid of what a human girl might think? Bella didn’t understand; she didn’t know what was best for her. Or was he more afraid of losing face with his wife? Disgusted with him, I stormed out the door and stalked up to the attic, as far from the situation as possible. </p><p>It all felt so hopeless. This wasn’t going to be the baby she imagined was inside her. Bella was going to die for a creature that probably didn’t even look humanoid! And when she died, she’d take Edward with her. Did she expect Edward to nurture the creature that killed its own mother, his mate whom he’d waited more than a century for? It wasn’t even going to be a baby! This was a fast-growing parasite that would likely be savage in its birth, tearing her apart from the inside out. My imagination was running wild now that I couldn’t see anything. I kept conjuring various types of monstrous beings tearing their way out of Bella’s body, causing irreparable damage that the change wouldn’t repair.</p><p>As I sat up there, I tried to find a way to accept that Edward and I were alone in this. Edward and I loved her the most out of anyone and we wanted her to survive at any cost, but nobody else was willing to stand up to Bella and deny what she wanted, no matter how bad for her it was.  It appeared that Bella was going to go through with this horror movie pregnancy, and Edward and I would have to let her.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>End Note: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Emmett doesn’t get a whole lot of representation in this chapter, but rest assured. I’m planning an outtake of this chapter in Emmett’s POV. He and Rosalie went off to get Esme from the cottage, and that is when Bella called Rosalie. Is that something you’d like to see?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Offer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p><strong>Disclaimer:</strong> This chapter includes direct quotes from Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (Chapter 9). No copyright infringement intended, and I make no profit off of this.</p>
<p><strong>Note:</strong> I owe a great debt of gratitude to my amazing betas, palmofafreezinghand and Alice’s White Rabbit. This story wouldn’t be half as good without their help.</p>
<p>Do yourself a favor and read palmofafreezinghand’s story, <em>For Appearance’s Sake</em>, available on Archive of Our Own. It’s about the fragile and complex beginnings of Esme’s relationship with Carlisle; they each want to be with the other, but are too afraid to make a move. Edward tries to help things along. It’s sweet and heartbreaking at the same time, you’ll love it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>________________________________________<br/>Visions Interrupted: Chapter 5 - The Offer<br/>________________________________________</p>
<p>I hid in the attic for several hours. I felt Jasper approach a few times, but I sent him powerful vibes of needing to be alone, and he respected my wishes and backed off every time. I knew he desperately wanted to bring me comfort, but I needed to wallow in this for a while—the fact that the whole family aside from Edward was against me, even my own mate. Edward and I were the only ones willing to go against Bella’s wishes for her own safety. Did that make us callous and unfeeling? No, the exact opposite was true; we loved her so much that we were willing to do the most sensible thing, even if it hurt her in the short term. Everyone else was out of their damned minds for supporting her decision. Either that or they were cowards; I wasn’t sure which answer was worse. A coven of vampires afraid to stand up to a measly little human girl—it would be laughable if it weren’t so depressing. If only I could just see past the fetus and know what would happen. I hated being in the dark, relying only on hope and prayers. How did normal people do this every day of their lives, wondering what their future held?</p>
<p>Eventually, I decided I had to see Bella for myself and try to talk some sense into her. I planned to march down to Rosalie’s room, tell Emmett to move aside (he said no boys allowed, not no girls), and bust down the door if I had to. I wanted to give Bella a piece of my mind. How dare she put herself in imminent danger like this by choice! If my heart still beat, the stress and anxiety would’ve given me a heart attack by now. I think any other time, Edward would have flown up to the attic to stop me, but this time, he didn’t. He knew my plans to confront Bella, and he wanted me to do it. I was going to say everything he couldn’t. He wouldn’t stop me. </p>
<p>Decided, I sped down the stairs, only to find Rosalie and Emmett’s door wide open and the room empty. I followed their scents and the increasing static down to the living room and saw that Bella was on the couch, asleep. Edward was sitting on the floor by her feet, his hand almost touching Bella’s leg. Almost because Rosalie was watching his every movement like a hawk and not even trying to hide it. She wasn’t going to let anyone touch Bella, especially her husband who wanted the exact opposite of what they were fighting for. Anybody wanting access to Bella had to go through Rosalie first, that much was clear. Jasper was also there, sitting in the nearby armchair, ready to mitigate any untoward hostility with his gift while also allowing them to feel and work through their own emotions.</p>
<p>The scene was pitiful and I wanted no part of it, so I continued on to the kitchen. I could hear and smell Esme cooking something for Bella in there, which was perfect because I was ready to confront her for manipulating Carlisle into going against his conscience.</p>
<p>“Hi Esme, whatcha making?” I asked conversationally, trying to ease the way into what I really wanted to ask her.</p>
<p>Esme gave a little start, like my approach had surprised her somehow. “Oh, hello, Alice, dear. I’m making Bella some chicken noodle soup for when she wakes up.”</p>
<p>“I imagine she’ll appreciate that. Wish I could know for sure,” I answered with a shrug. </p>
<p>Esme frowned as she stirred the soup. “I’m so sorry, dear. I hate that you’re in pain.”</p>
<p>That was as good an opening as any. “My pain isn’t the point. My pain will go away once the threat to Bella is eliminated.”</p>
<p>Esme scoffed before she could catch herself. “Threat? A baby isn’t a threat.”</p>
<p>“It’s not a baby,” I hissed. “Why can’t you see that? This thing is going to destroy her from the inside out. I can’t see it, so it’s not one of us. It’s a demon! Edward can see that, I can see that, Carlisle can see that, so why can’t you? How can you support this, Esme?” She stopped stirring and glared at me, but I continued. “This thing is going to kill her. My best friend? Edward's MATE he’s waited one hundred years for? What will happen to us if we lose her? You're letting her kill herself!”</p>
<p>Slowly, she set the spoon down and turned to face me. “You can’t understand, Alice,” she said firmly. “I’m the only one who knows what it is to carry a life inside you. I can tell you from personal experience that a mother would do anything for her child. Even if it means her death.”</p>
<p>With that, Esme disassociated from me and got that far away look in her eye. I knew she was remembering her son, and how his death had driven Esme to her own. I recognized that she wasn’t going to be functional for a while, so I left her in statue-mode to join the group in the living room. I needed Jasper to soothe my frayed nerves. While I felt sympathetic to Esme’s personal tragedy, I didn't want her story to sway how I felt about Bella's situation. Esme had been human with a human’s child inside her. Inside Bella was a demon, bent on destruction, just like all monsters fundamentally are. Just because our family fought those desires didn’t mean we each still didn’t thirst for blood and gore like all vampires and other dark creatures do.</p>
<p>I entered the room and headed straight for Jasper in the armchair, curling myself up in his lap. My brother and sister didn’t even look my way. Jazz wrapped me up in his arms and immediately I could feel the relaxation seep into me. It was a soothing wave, and I let it inundate and anesthetize me. Together, Jasper and I watched the silent standoff between Rosalie and Edward, while Bella slept peacefully between them. Neither Edward nor Rosalie was going to leave her side for a second, that much was obvious. Rosalie stood guard over Bella and was ready to fight any of us that got in the way. Her life’s dream was to be a mother, but she never could achieve that dream. She wasn’t about to let a miracle baby be destroyed, even if it was Edward’s kid.  </p>
<p>“What the hell are you doing, Rosalie?” I hissed, too quiet and quick for Bella to possibly overhear as she slept. </p>
<p>“Protecting the innocent, Alice,” she replied haughtily, to which Edward closed his eyes and groaned. </p>
<p>Undeterred, I shot back, “Protecting it so you can keep it when she dies?”</p>
<p>Rosalie’s eyes flared with her fury and she gestured to Bella’s sleeping form. “No! I’m doing what Bella asked me to do! Something she couldn’t trust either of you to do,” she accused, eyes darting from me to Edward and back. Edward blanched, unable to hide his torment. Rosalie did soften a little at that; she wasn’t completely unfeeling toward the boy she’d known her whole existence, who’d taught her how to live this life. “She wants to try,” Rosalie tried to explain. “I think she can do this.”</p>
<p>Infuriated, I hissed. “You’re certifiable.”</p>
<p>“Says the mental patient.”</p>
<p>“Hey now,” Jasper warned as Edward tsked at Rosalie’s low blow. Her insult didn’t bother me as much as it maybe should have, so I just rolled my eyes at her.</p>
<p>“Bella wants to have this baby, and it’s her right to do so,” Rosalie defended. “It’s her body, and she decides what she does with it.”</p>
<p>Edward looked like someone set him on fire, his eyes blazing with anger and fear and worry and agony, but he said nothing. What more could he say? Bella made her choice and he was being forced to watch his new wife slowly die. I saw the thing the same way he did—an unknown creature that was bound to kill its mother, possibly too violently for venom to restore. The creature made me blind, so it must not be human or vampire. If I couldn’t see it, then it was more like the wolves, a species unfamiliar to me. That meant it could be capable of anything; the possibilities were endless and frightening. </p>
<p>Unable to watch any more of Edward’s torment, I fled to the attic once again. At least the static was a little bit less consuming while I was up here, as far from Bella as I could be and remain in the house. I tried to focus on clearing my mind, and I must have succeeded after a while because I didn’t notice that Emmett had joined me in the attic until he cleared his throat.</p>
<p>“Helloooo, Earth to Alice. Come in, Alice,” he joked, waving his hand in front of my face.</p>
<p>Laughing, I batted it away, and he pretended like I’d hurt him. Smiling, I said, “Thanks, Emmett, I needed that.”</p>
<p>“Sure, little lady. So, are you going to be the phantom in the attic from now on?”</p>
<p>“Yup, I’m your stereotypical vampire bat in the belfry. How did the supply run go?”</p>
<p>He shrugged. “It was fine. Carlisle and I got a small U-Haul for all the monitor-y things and the bed and stuff. He’s waiting on a few more things, but the big stuff is all set.”</p>
<p>“Only now it’ll be used for a different purpose, I guess.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” he said with a reluctant sigh. “A few of the things he’s waiting on are an ultrasound machine and an infant incubator.”</p>
<p>“Wow, they’re really playing house with this now, huh?” My always-positive brother looked the saddest I’d ever seen him. I knew he didn’t want Bella to die. He felt protective of her and loved her as a sister already. “Emmett, do you believe this thing is a baby like Rosalie does?”</p>
<p>“Of course, I do, Alice,” he replied. Then he frowned and dropped his voice to a barely audible level. “No, I don’t, but it doesn't matter what I really think. I have to support Rose in this. It's my best move if I’m going to make it through an eternity by her side. She needs this. I know you get that." </p>
<p>Looking away from him, I nodded. Rosalie wasn’t an easy person to love—she was complicated and damaged. Emmett loved her with his whole heart, and he would do anything to see her happy, even stand aside while his new sister got eaten alive.</p>
<p>"I hope Bella survives,” he told me with a sigh. “She’s so sweet and funny, and this family needs someone like her. She’s a great sister. And Edward is so much happier—well, he was before all this. I’ve never seen him that happy, or happy at all really." </p>
<p>We both fell silent at that. No words really needed to be spoken. We were both feeling the same thing: pity for our brother, who had gone through such misery in his long and lonely life, who had finally found happiness, only to have it torn away after only a brief taste. Edward didn’t deserve that, and it pissed me off that Bella would do this to him, the man she claimed to love more than anything. But she didn’t, she loved the spawn more. </p>
<p>xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx</p>
<p>It had been four weeks and the tension in the house was still thick. Lines had been drawn and we all knew who was on what side. Edward and I were alone in our opinion, and we no longer protested because there was no point. Nobody listened to us. Emmett was on our side, but he couldn’t speak against Rosalie. Edward could read his solidarity in his mind though, and I knew based on our conversation in the attic. The rest of our family all kept referring to the creature as a baby. Even Carlisle was now, although he was extremely concerned for Bella’s rapidly deteriorating health and grotesque, ballooning proportions. Bella couldn’t keep any food or water down, and as her belly swelled up, the rest of her body was wasting away at an alarming speed. The fetus was consuming her from the inside out and not allowing her to take in new nutrients. Bella was trying to make us believe we were doing the right thing, disguising her pain to the best of her ability to make us feel better, but she couldn’t hide the involuntary grunts when it kicked her too hard and the bruises blossoming over her distended belly. She was actively dying, but she took it all in stride, determined to give this demon life. She was convinced she could do it and be turned at the last minute. But venom wasn’t going to do anything if her heart stopped. I’d think she was brave if she wasn’t being so stupid.</p>
<p>The fetus was beating her up and starving her to death and I was being forced to sit by and watch. I could never pretend for very long though. In front of Bella, I did my best not to show how distraught I was, but I was as good an actor as Edward right now, which was piss poor.  It felt impossible to hide my horror and fear and disagreement with her deadly decision. I couldn't help thinking how incredibly selfish she was being, not thinking about Edward or my pain at all. Did she care that Edward would find a way to die like he had the last time he thought she was dead? Did she care that when they were both gone, I’d have to mourn the loss of my two best friends forever?</p>
<p>I knew she felt abandoned by me—Jasper had told me as much—but I just couldn’t sit by and watch her waste away. I spent a lot of time in the attic so Bella could have some relief from my judgment, and so my head wasn't pounding with static from being too close to her for too long, which was the excuse I leaned into. I hadn’t seen much of Edward in weeks since he wouldn’t leave her side and it hurt my head and my heart too much to be next to her.</p>
<p>Emmett and I had been assigned to be the primary research team by Carlisle a few days after Edward and Bella had returned home. He knew Emmett needed a way to be useful and that I needed something to distract my mind. I think he hoped it would make me feel better knowing I was searching for a way to help her by reading between the lines of ancient legends.</p>
<p>Emmett and I hadn’t gotten very far on the world wide web, however. There just wasn’t a lot of content out there on vampire-spawned demons, or maybe we just weren’t searching for the right keywords. Either way, we were coming up with meager results. Mostly, we found that a lot of search results for “demon baby” came back with strange looking ultrasound photos and mothers who had killed their babies because they were crazy and thought their babies were possessed by the devil. It was kind of amazing how often that seemed to happen. There were lots of articles about demons impregnating sleeping women. We found stories of Lilith, revenants, the Mesopotamian demon Pazuzu, but they didn’t fit with the situation we found ourselves in.</p>
<p>We kept running across incubus legends, and it was equal parts gross, awkward, and hilarious to think of Edward that way. We had a good laugh over the fact that every legend said the incubus preyed on sleeping women, since Edward had often snuck into Bella’s room to watch her sleep.  Several articles cited the incubus’ unnaturally large, cold penis, which gave Emmett a good laugh for a solid five minutes.</p>
<p>And when we found the legends of the Amazonian river dolphins, who shape-shifted into handsome and charming men and hid the blowhole on top of their head, Emmett had to equate that to a penis too, and then he was off laughing again, only this time, I joined in. It was a relief to let go of the tension like that, and we belly laughed about penises for at least ten minutes straight. The others must have thought we’d gone off the deep end.</p>
<p>Ultimately though, we were at a stalemate on the research. There were tons of legends from so many different cultures, but none ever said what happened to the mother after the birth of the demon. We hypothesized that was because they never survived. Still, we searched for any information on how to take care of Bella, or what to expect from the birth, but Emmett and I were coming up with nothing.</p>
<p>Emmett and I both smelled it at the same time—eau de wolf. The static in my head began to lessen as the scent came closer, almost numbing the constant, pinprick-style pain.</p>
<p>Realizing a wolf was approaching the house, we rushed downstairs to join the others in defense of Bella. We were the last to arrive, but Edward had waited for us to explain what was going on.</p>
<p>“Jacob is coming,” he told us. “He’s angry; Charlie told his father about Bella’s illness, and he thinks we’ve turned her. He’s coming to kill me for breaking the treaty, and he’ll take the rest of you down to get to me if he has to.”</p>
<p>Bella gasped and Rosalie moved to stand closer to her, as if that were possible. Emmett cracked his knuckles while Carlisle and Esme were nervously looking between each other and the door.</p>
<p>“He’s alone?” Jasper asked. “What about the rest of the pack?”</p>
<p>Edward was listening to Jacob’s mind intently, but he answered after a few moments. “It seems Sam requires proof to attack. Jacob has no such requirements.”</p>
<p>“What does he think he’s gonna do? There are seven of us,” Emmett scoffed.</p>
<p>“He doesn’t really care if he dies, as long as he gets me first,” Edward explained hollowly. “Hold on. He’s approaching the porch now.”</p>
<p>We all heard his heavy footsteps coming up the steps.</p>
<p>“Oh my God,” Bella whispered, afraid of what Jacob might do. She burrowed deeper under the blanket, obscuring her abdomen.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry, dear,” Esme soothed, although she looked pretty worried herself.</p>
<p>“I’ll handle it,” Carlisle announced, ushering Esme over to stand next to me behind Jasper, and he headed for the door. </p>
<p>“Tell him she’s sick. He can’t see her like this,” Rosalie whispered under her breath.</p>
<p>We all listened to the exchange as Carlisle greeted Jacob. "Hello, Jacob, how are you?"</p>
<p>"I heard Bella made it back alive."</p>
<p>"Er, Jacob, it's not really the best time. Could we do this later?" Carlisle wasn’t doing a great job staying relaxed. His words and demeanor were only making Jacob more agitated. Jasper would have been a better choice to answer the door. </p>
<p>We vampires could all feel the vibes in the atmosphere of Jacob’s wolf pushing against its confines, desperate to break free and avenge his friend.  Bella didn’t realize how close he was to exploding though, and she was shaking her head, whispering to herself, "This is crazy."</p>
<p>"Crazy how? The mutt can't see you like this," Rosalie explained in a condescending way.</p>
<p>"Why not?" she asked, purposefully loud so he would hear her. "Are we keeping secrets from Jacob, too? What's the point? Come in, please, Jacob," she called out, her voice rough from disuse at such a volume.</p>
<p>We all glanced around at each other, each a little flabbergasted at Bella’s decision to invite him in. We weren’t prepared for whatever his reaction might be. If he phased, he was going to wreck some furniture at the very least.</p>
<p>The malodorous boy entered the room, and he looked around at all of us, his brow drawn tight with determination and his body trembling with the rage he held back to keep from phasing. Instinctively, Jasper pulled me into his side and slightly behind him, protecting me from the volatile and unpredictable wolf. Carlisle had resumed his place next to us, taking responsibility for protecting Esme once again. When Jacob’s gaze landed on Edward, his enraged expression intensified before cooling a bit into confusion. Edward's blatant agony wasn't what he expected to see here. He expected Edward to be happy, because he thought Bella had become a vampire. That was why he was here after all, to kill us for breaking the treaty once he saw his proof.</p>
<p>Jacob finally followed Edward’s gaze to Bella on the couch, looking nothing like the vampire he expected, and not much like the girl he knew either. This Bella was weak and gaunt and pallid. She swallowed hard and grimaced, looking up to Rose, who stuck a basin under her chin. I closed my eyes and didn't breathe. There was nothing that smelled worse than human stomach acid and bile, not even Jacob's odor. Edward moved to comfort her, but of course Rosalie stopped him, never letting him get too close.</p>
<p>"Sorry about that," she whispered, always apologizing for publicly getting sick. Jacob started walking toward her, and Rosalie flashed over to stand in front of Bella, blocking his path.<br/>"Rose, don't," Bella whispered. "It's fine." </p>
<p>Reluctantly, Rosalie stepped aside just enough for him to get by, then crouched beside Bella’s head, showing him she was ready to attack at a moment’s notice.</p>
<p>"Bella, what's wrong?" Jacob whispered, kneeling next to her and taking her hand in his. “Are you all right?" I felt so sorry for him in that moment. Here was this kid who loved Bella whole-heartedly, had been her best friend in the world, but she hadn’t chosen him when that was all he wanted. And now, he was about to see what exactly she had chosen for herself.</p>
<p>"I'm so glad you came to see me today, Jacob," she gave as a non-answer. Edward couldn’t stop the moan of pain that escaped him at the allusion to her possible death, and Jacob looked even more confused. "What is it, Bella?"</p>
<p>Instead of answering, she glanced around the room at each of us, both a plea and a warning not to stop her in her look. Finally, she turned to Rosalie. "Help me up, Rose?" she asked. Rosalie's lips pulled back over her teeth, and she glared up at Jacob like she wanted to kill him. "Please, Rose," Bella pleaded. As Rose moved to help her, Jacob whispered, “No. Don't get up..." </p>
<p>"I'm answering your question," she snapped at him. Rosalie gently pulled Bella up off the couch and the blanket fell away, revealing her distended belly to him. Jacob’s emotions flashed over his face—horror, disgust, rage, condemnation—and he seemed to be trying not to vomit. Jasper pushed me farther behind his body, feeling the onslaught of Jacob’s violent turmoil.</p>
<p>Edward snarled and jumped up from his spot on the floor. "Outside, Jacob," he demanded.</p>
<p> "Let's do this," Jacob shot back in challenge. </p>
<p>Jasper swiftly moved me to stand next to Esme behind Carlisle and joined Emmett on Edward’s flanks.</p>
<p>"No," Bella gasped, and she stumbled forward, out of balance, to clutch at Edward's arm. Rosalie moved with her, shadowing her motions, ready to catch her. </p>
<p>"I just need to talk to him, Bella," Edward reassured her in a low voice. “Don't strain yourself," he went on. "Please rest. We'll both be back in just a few minutes." </p>
<p>She stared at his face, reading it carefully. Then she nodded and moved to sit back down on the couch, aided by Rose. "Behave," she insisted, holding Jacob’s gaze. "And then come back." Edward walked out the door and Jacob followed him, the two of them walking until they were out of earshot. The further away Jacob walked, the more the static grew in intensity, and after such a fraught encounter, my nerves were already shot. I struggled to compartmentalize it and listen to the conversation around me, but it felt like everyone’s voices were a million miles away, and I strained to understand them.</p>
<p>“Are they going to fight?” Bella asked, starting to panic. “Can you hear what they’re saying?”</p>
<p>“Edward walked them out of range,” Jasper explained.</p>
<p>“But don’t worry, Bella, we can be there to help like that,” Emmett said, snapping his fingers.</p>
<p>“Maybe you two should follow them,” Esme suggested under her breath so Bella wouldn’t hear. “Edward might not be looking to fight, but Jacob seemed to be ready to start one.”</p>
<p>“Let Edward handle it,” Carlisle said just as quietly. “He knows what Jacob is thinking. He wouldn’t lead the boy away from us if he thought he’d get hurt.”</p>
<p>“Edward is too arrogant to think he might need help to take out Jacob,” Rosalie scoffed under her breath. Then, louder, she spoke to Bella before she realized we were talking without her knowledge. “Can I get you anything, Bella?”</p>
<p>“Some ice water would be nice, thanks,” Bella croaked. </p>
<p>If she can keep it down, I thought to myself. The longer Jacob was gone, the more intensely I felt like someone was jabbing my brain with a thousand tiny needles, so I bailed and rushed up to the attic, as far from Bella as I could get. Jacob's presence had been a balm. I’d take empty space over static any day. His brief presence and the soothing relief the blankness had given me only made the resurgence of the pain seem a hundred times worse, and I just couldn’t be around her anymore.</p>
<p>I did my best to meditate, to look past the pain into blissful silence, and I was so absorbed in trying to do this that I was startled to suddenly see Edward sitting across from me on the opposite side of the dark, peaked room.</p>
<p>“Oh!” I gasped, my hand flying up to clutch my chest. “Edward, you surprised me.”</p>
<p>“Sorry, I didn’t want to disturb you. You’d finally gotten past the static. Though, I regret to have to tell you it wasn’t the meditation that chased the needles away. Jacob is back. In the living room with Bella.”</p>
<p>“What? Why? What happened?” I looked him over as I asked, noting that he looked no worse than he had before he went out with Jacob. </p>
<p>“I’m fine. Nothing happened. He doesn’t completely hate me. I think he even feels a little bit bad for me.”</p>
<p>He should. You’re going through hell.</p>
<p>He didn’t comment on that, just continued talking. "I don't care about anything at this point except keeping her alive," he said, and I nodded my agreement. Taking a breath to steady himself, he told me, “If it's a child she wants, she can have it. I... I told Jacob to try and convince her to have his baby instead."</p>
<p>My mouth dropped open in shock. Edward met my eyes, and there was so much pain in them, I had to look away. “How can you…” I couldn’t finish aloud.</p>
<p>“I just want her to live, Alice. If that’s what it takes…”</p>
<p>“You’d let him sleep with her?”</p>
<p>Edward swallowed hard, repeating, “If that’s what it takes.”</p>
<p>“And Jacob agreed?” I questioned, still in shock that he’d offer his mate to his enemy like that.</p>
<p>“Not really,” he chuckled darkly. “He thinks I’m insane. But he wants her to live too, so he’s down there trying to change her mind. I don’t know if he’ll tell her about my offer. He thinks she would never accept.”</p>
<p>I nodded firmly. “He’s right. She wouldn’t.”</p>
<p>“I know,” he whispered, looking away. “But I had to try. What else can I do? I’m out of options.” We were quiet for a while, listening in as Jacob cryptically proposed Edward’s deal to Bella, which she saw right through. He sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. “She refused.”</p>
<p>“Of course she did, Edward,” I whispered. “It was never about being a mother; she never really wanted that. She only wants this thing because it's yours.”</p>
<p>Edward scrubbed his face with his hands. “Oh, Alice, what can I do? I never wanted this. I wanted to wait until she was a vampire. I knew I would destroy her somehow.”</p>
<p>“Yes, but she was determined. Her mind was made up, and there was no future where it changed,” I reminded him.</p>
<p>“I know,” he said with a heavy sigh. “That’s why I agreed to try. And then, when it worked out...I thought everything would be okay. I... I liked it, and I didn’t want to go back,” he said, recoiling from his own words, scandalized by his feelings.</p>
<p>“Oh Edward, it’s okay," I was quick to reassure him. "Everyone likes sex.”</p>
<p>“I could have waited though. I waited that long already."</p>
<p>Shaking my head, I tried to lighten the mood, "I was so close to buying you condoms too."</p>
<p>He chuckled humorlessly. "We would have just laughed."</p>
<p>"Or died of embarrassment."</p>
<p>"Yeah, probably." Staring down at his hands, twisting in his lap, he whispered, "I shouldn’t have let her convince me. I knew in my gut it would end badly. And now, just like I was afraid of, I’ve killed her.” </p>
<p>Edward’s voice broke then, and his shoulders shook as he was finally overcome with his anguish. I slid over next to him and wrapped my arms around him. He clutched me, tearlessly sobbing on my shoulder, and I rubbed his back, whispering words of comfort. I don’t know how long I held him, but we stayed in that embrace until he was all cried out and ready to put on a brave face for his dying bride once more.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Vampire Aspirin</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: This chapter includes direct quotes from Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (Chapters 11 &amp; 14). No copyright infringement intended, and I make no profit off of this.</p>
<p>Please take note that I am using book canon, not movie canon. Things happened a little differently in the movies.</p>
<p>This wouldn't be half as good without the analytical help of palmofafreezinghand or as grammatically sound without the red pen of Alice's White Rabbit. Thank you both so much.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>________________________________________<br/>Visions Interrupted: Chapter 6 - Vampire Aspirin<br/>________________________________________</p>
<p>Edward left the attic to rejoin Bella once Jacob had given up and gone home, unable to convince her to do what everyone knew was best for her. Everyone knew except Bella, that is. Frankly, I was kind of rattled by Edward’s emotional breakdown. Edward had always been an anxiety-ridden mess on the inside; I knew because Jasper told me. But the face he showed the family was quite stoic most of the time. Of course, after he met Bella, a lot of that anxiety rose to the surface, but it was never so bad that he broke down and wept. The only other time I saw anything close to that reaction was after we’d left Forks following the paper cut incident. Edward was only with the family in Ithaca briefly before setting out on his own. But in my visions, I saw him trying to die a number of different ways in Italy after he learned of Bella’s apparent death. Even then though, I’d never seen anything close to crying. It did feel really good to know that he trusted me enough to be so raw in front of me. Edward and I had always been a team though, the freakiest of the family, and we had each other’s back no matter what. </p>
<p>A bit of a commotion a few floors below disrupted my reflections, and I heard Edward mutter, “We’ve got company.”  </p>
<p>My ears perked up, and I listened intently as Emmett asked, “Who?” </p>
<p>“It’s Jacob again. Seth is with him.”</p>
<p>“Come on,” Jasper said, and then I heard the front door open and footsteps on the porch.</p>
<p>I quickly moved to watch from the attic window. Two large wolves, the sandy one a little bit smaller than the russet one, emerged from the tree line. Edward was waiting for them on the porch, Emmett and Jasper flanking his sides, whether for protection or intimidation, I wasn’t sure. </p>
<p>"Jacob? Seth? What's going on?" Edward asked. There was a long silence, peppered with woofs and pacing as they telepathically filled Edward in on whatever news they had.</p>
<p>Seemingly out of nowhere, Edward hissed furiously and leapt off the porch. "They want to kill Bella?" he demanded. Emmett and Jasper advanced on the two wolves, teeth bared. My heart leapt into my throat. My brothers, my mate, my best friend, everyone I loved was in danger, and I had no way to predict the outcome of this confrontation with the two wolves. I felt paralyzed by the terror of the unknown. I couldn’t fathom what could have made Jacob decide to turn against Bella to the point of murder, and I certainly didn’t relish the thought of us having to kill Bella’s best friend. That wasn’t going to do her condition any favors.</p>
<p>Edward stopped his brothers before they could get too far though. "Em, Jazz—not them, the others. The pack is coming." I breathed a sigh of relief that the danger wasn’t so immediate, but I was still on edge knowing the other wolves had plans for murder.</p>
<p>Emmett and Jasper stood down at Edward’s words; Emmett turned to Edward while Jasper kept his eyes locked on the wolves, probably reading their emotions, possibly influencing them to be calm.</p>
<p>"What's their problem?" Emmett demanded. </p>
<p>"The same one as mine," Edward hissed. "But they have their own plan to handle it. Get the others. Call Carlisle! He and Esme have to get back here now." </p>
<p>That was it. I couldn't keep hiding up here. I couldn’t see, but I wouldn’t let fear keep me away when my family needed my support to protect Bella from this deadly threat. I sped down the stairs, past Bella, who was thankfully sleeping, and Rosalie, who was anxiously pacing and wringing her hands. When I stepped outside, Emmett was on the phone with Carlisle, and Jasper was watching the place where Seth had vanished into the woods. I went to stand with him as I communicated to Edward.</p>
<p>I know I've been hiding from her, but you know it’s not because I don't love her. I'm here for you to keep Bella safe. </p>
<p>He gave a small nod of acknowledgment but spoke to the wolf in front of him. "This isn't the first time I've owed you my gratitude, Jacob," Edward whispered to him. "I would never have asked for this from you." There was a pause. Never asked what? Did I miss something? "I suppose you're right about that,” Edward went on to say. Oh great, Edward is answering thoughts.  The wolf sighed, and Edward murmured, "Right." There was a much longer pause, during which Emmett, Jasper, and I exchanged annoyed glances. "I know. I never really believed she would. But ... worse."  </p>
<p>I'd had just about enough of the one-sided conversation. There was serious business to discuss. We all had to be prepared to defend Bella! I’d never know what was going on if Jacob stayed in wolf form. I tried to sound as polite as possible when I asked, "Jacob, would you mind switching forms? I want to know what's going on." </p>
<p>He shook his large furry head, and Edward answered for him. "He needs to stay linked to Seth." </p>
<p>"Well then, would you be so kind as to tell me what's happening?" I snapped at him, fed up with being in the dark. Jasper and Emmett both nodded their agreement, and though Edward bristled at my demanding tone, he capitulated and filled us in.</p>
<p>"The pack thinks Bella's become a problem. They foresee potential danger from the ... from what she's carrying. They feel it's their duty to remove that danger. Jacob and Seth disbanded from the pack to warn us. The rest are planning to attack tonight." </p>
<p>A hiss escaped me unbidden. The wolves wanted the fetus gone too, but they were willing to sacrifice Bella to do it, rip the thing from her body with their teeth, not caring that she would certainly die, as long as the fetus did too. Emmett and Jasper immediately scanned the trees, listening for the incoming threat.</p>
<p>"Well, Carlisle and Esme are on their way," Emmett said. "Twenty minutes tops." </p>
<p>"We should take up a defensive position," Jasper said, his military brain in full operation. </p>
<p>Edward nodded. "Let's get inside." </p>
<p>With that, Jacob followed after Seth, presumably to run a perimeter, ready to confront any of their former pack brothers should they try to attack. We backed into the house, eyes darting everywhere. </p>
<p>Once we were in and the door was closed, Edward explained, “If we hear a howl, that’s the signal that the pack is coming, and an attack is imminent.”</p>
<p>Bella’s breath hitched with fright, and he glared at Rosalie. “You told her?” </p>
<p>Rosalie nodded. “She was figuring it out anyway. She has to know.” </p>
<p>Bella shuddered at that but shot back in her weakened voice, “Yeah, I should probably know that my former friends are trying to kill me.”  </p>
<p>Emmett chuckled, and Edward turned his angry gaze toward him, but Bella smiled, pleased Emmett thought she was funny. It was sweet, but really, this wasn’t the time for jokes.</p>
<p>Jasper flashed over to the far wall, sliding open a small panel in the wall to the right of the floor-to-ceiling windows and pushing the button that lowered the metal wall. Not only would it slow the wolves down, but it would not allow them an opportunity to look inside at us. The inside of the steel wall was in a trendy industrial style. Esme designed it that way so we could lower it if we ever had human guests over on a sunny day, and it wouldn’t seem weird to have no windows; it went well with the modern and contemporary look of the house, giving the living room a funky warehouse-style backdrop.</p>
<p>Edward had attempted to sit next to Bella but was shooed away by Rosalie and settled for a spot on the floor by her feet.</p>
<p>“Paul’s mine,” Emmett said, punching his fist into his other hand.</p>
<p>“You’ve got ’im,” Jasper agreed. “I want Sam.”</p>
<p>“Sam’ll probably go for Carlisle.”</p>
<p>“Exactly. I can pull a sneak attack,” he said with a sly grin. </p>
<p>I got an icky feeling about Jasper again, seeming excited to kill, especially taking the victim by surprise. Obviously, I didn’t agree with Sam’s plan to kill Bella along with the fetus, but there was no doubt that the fetus needed to be destroyed. He wasn’t wrong; the thing was a threat, and we should have eliminated it when we still had the chance. We were in too deep now, and it wasn’t the wolves’ fault that they had a duty to protect their tribe. They never would have even transformed if we hadn’t come to Forks in the first place! Then that feeling was squashed and replaced with reassurance. I started thinking, of course; a sneak attack makes sense. It was the only way to take out their leader. We didn’t want Bella dead, only the fetus, and if that was Sam’s plan, there would be no mercy from us. The excitement Jasper and Emmett were feeling started seeping into me.</p>
<p>“Who do I get?” I asked, bouncing on my toes.</p>
<p>“The new ones,” Edward put in. “You get Colin; Esme can get Brady.”</p>
<p>Protectiveness burst out around Jasper. “Like hell they will. Those new wolves are a liability. They have no training; they’re brand new. They’re extremely unpredictable and, therefore, dangerous. No, Alice and Esme should team up and fight a mature but less experienced wolf.” Jasper turned to me and told me, “I think the most recent one to turn was Quil Ateara’s descendant.”</p>
<p>“Got it.” The burst of excitement started to wane, and I began to feel a little nervous to fight against the wolves because I’d seen the damage they did when we fought alongside them in the newborn battle. Two against one was better odds though, and I would fight until they ripped me apart to keep my best friend from such a gruesome death.</p>
<p>It was then that Esme burst in, Carlisle right behind her. “Seth found us,” she said. “We ran as fast as we could.” </p>
<p>“Has there been any sign of them?” Carlisle asked Edward. </p>
<p>He shook his head. “No, nothing. And Jacob and Seth are out there. He said they’d howl if the pack was coming.”</p>
<p>Carlisle nodded. “Okay. Bella, here’s the nutrient drip we went for. I’m going to hook it up to you now, and hopefully, you’ll start feeling better.” She just nodded, and Rosalie moved toward the hospital equipment, which was still bunched together in a corner of the room. We hadn’t set up the room yet. She rolled the hospital bed over, carefully lifting Bella onto it. Carlisle got a pole to hang the bag on. She grimaced as he attached the catheter to the port already installed on the back of her hand. Then he moved away, and Edward took his place, standing at Bella's bedside, Rosalie watching him on the other side. I could only imagine what she might be thinking to him.</p>
<p>Carlisle then brought some kind of monitor over and asked Rosalie, “If you don’t mind, I’d like to be able to see her heart rate and know if something’s going wrong.” Rosalie nodded after careful thought and stepped slightly aside. Carlisle pushed his way into the gap and attached some sticky pads to Bella’s chest, switched the machine on, and then stepped away. Rosalie was back in place in an instant. </p>
<p>During all of that, Bella had fallen asleep. Rosalie looked at her in surprise, then her face hardened, and she whipped around to face Carlisle. “Why did she fall asleep so fast?”</p>
<p>Esme looked like she was about to jump to rescue her husband from her accusatory daughter, but Carlisle didn't hesitate. “I gave her a mild sedative in the drip.” </p>
<p>Rosalie looked like steam should be shooting out of her ears, and her fists were clenched at her sides. "We didn’t agree to that," she said through clenched teeth.</p>
<p>"She needs rest,” he explained in a placating tone. “Sleep will help her body absorb the nutrients she so desperately needs if she's to survive. You know this. You've been to medical school."</p>
<p>Rosalie nodded stiffly and relaxed her posture slightly. I wondered why Jasper wasn't helping, but then realized he was still strategizing with Emmett, not paying attention to the scene at the bedside.</p>
<p>And then there was howling. Everyone's head whipped around in silent panic. Bella didn't stir. Edward's head snapped to the window, and after a moment, he started talking in that monotone he used when translating another person’s thoughts. "It was a false alarm. Seth was upset about something else, and he forgot we were listening for a signal. He's very young." </p>
<p>Rosalie rolled her eyes in disgust and annoyance.</p>
<p>"Nice to have toddlers guarding the fort," Emmett grumbled.</p>
<p>"They've done us a great service tonight, Emmett," Carlisle said. "At great personal sacrifice." </p>
<p>"Yeah, I know. I'm just jealous. Wish I was out there."</p>
<p> "Seth doesn't think Sam will attack now," Edward said mechanically. "Not with us forewarned and them lacking two members of the pack." </p>
<p>"What does Jacob think?" Carlisle asked.</p>
<p> "He's not as optimistic." No one spoke. We all just turned to look at the subject of this fight, the one who always seemed to be the center of trouble, my obscenely pregnant friend. Even in her sleep, her gaunt face was drawn with pain, and she whimpered occasionally. Edward looked like he wouldn't be able to hold it together. He reached out toward her face, maybe to smooth the hair away from her forehead, which was beading with sweat.</p>
<p>"Don't touch her! You'll wake her up," Rosalie whispered heatedly. </p>
<p>I heaved a sigh, and Esme shook her head. </p>
<p>"Rosalie," Carlisle chastised. </p>
<p>"Don't start with me, Carlisle. We let you have your way with the drip, but that's all we're allowing."</p>
<p>Then Bella choked a little in her sleep, and both Edward and Rosalie moved in to hover over her. Her body jerked as we all watched the creature move inside her distended belly, distorting the skin grotesquely. She whimpered in her sleep, and Rosalie smoothed her hand across Bella's forehead like Edward was going to do. </p>
<p>I thought she was being really excessive about her protection assignment. Edward didn’t want to hurt her. The last thing he wanted was for any harm to come to Bella. That was all I wanted too. Why didn’t anyone understand?</p>
<p>Edward's body stiffened, and fury blazed on his face. Rosalie met his gaze with a cold stare; she wasn’t backing down. Whatever she was thinking was pushing Edward to the edge, and he took a step toward her, only to be suddenly cut off by Emmett's broad chest. Emmett held his hands up to stop him. "Not tonight, Edward. We've got other things to worry about." </p>
<p>Edward turned away from us and sat down at his piano, though he didn't play. He was so angry and upset; he probably should have taken a few minutes to collect himself, but he couldn’t bear to be away from Bella when she had such little time left. Carlisle went about checking the monitors, and Esme adjusted Bella's blankets. My head was starting to ache again now that Jacob had moved off. The needles were starting to jab at my brain, and I wasn’t going to be able to stay in this room any longer. Taking one more look at the wasting body of my friend on the bed, I went up to Carlisle's study to continue my fruitless research, anything to escape the misery that was our living room. I plopped into the leather chair that was much too large for me—it swallowed me. On a whim, I looked up something I’d thought of earlier to use as a keyword search—half human/half vampire children. That search came back with a surprising amount of results centering on the word dhampir. I opened the first link and began to read. The more I read, the more horrified I became, and I opened several other links for comparison. They all said the same thing. The “baby” was going to put too much strain on her body, then kill her when it’s born. That was why most dhampirs didn’t have a mother. Also, all the links I opened overwhelmingly agreed—traditionally, dhampirs were vampire hunters.</p>
<p>I gasped loudly at the realization that this creature would not only kill Bella but could possibly have the power to destroy all of us. Both Jasper and Emmett were suddenly on either side of the oversized chair. </p>
<p>“What did you find, darlin?” Jasper asked with concern. They peered over my shoulders, reading the information, and I felt my anxiety spike from Jasper's own influx of emotion. </p>
<p>Jasper began to read a passage out loud. “According to the legend, dhampirs are similar to vampires. They have both the powers of a human and vampire. They can sense a supernatural creature within a specified distance, have acute sense of sight and hearing, have regenerative abilities, walk in sunlight, eat like a human, control animals, and can be used to destroy vampires.</p>
<p>“Fuck, like Van Helsing?” Emmett blurted.</p>
<p>“Yeah, right, except freakishly strong and fast-growing. No way is this thing humanoid,” I put in, scoffing.</p>
<p>“The question is will it come after us when it’s born? How mobile will the creature be? I’ll need to be ready to kill it right away. All our lives may be on the line if it is a dhampir.”</p>
<p>“If we can believe this has actually happened before. This could be completely made up by the humans,” Emmett argued, still embarrassed by his first response and trying to make up for it.</p>
<p>Our dhampir discussion was cut short as Rosalie dashed upstairs and into Carlisle’s study. She only gave us the briefest of glances before she rushed over to the cooler and swung open the door. Inside were bags of human blood that Carlisle had stored there for any emergency operation Bella might need. Now that the airtight seal of the cooler door had been released, the scent of human blood filled the air, and we all felt our thirst flare painfully. Swallowing hard, Rosalie quickly explained, “We think the fetus wants this”—she held her hand up to us—“now stay put and don’t breathe,” before dashing back downstairs with two bags of blood. </p>
<p>None of us had hunted in weeks, and it was going to be especially hard now that the pack was potentially surrounding us. Jasper’s thirst was already amplifying mine and Emmett’s, doubling it for us, but quadrupling it for himself. As intense as my thirst was, I knew Jasper was affected so much more, so I grabbed onto his arm, not to hold him back, as he could easily break my grip, but more so to ground him. He laid his hand on mine and squeezed it, appreciating my solidarity. The three of us suffered together, our scorched throats begging to be quenched. We listened with needy envy as Bella slurped up the blood and gave a little moan of pleasure, enjoying the taste. </p>
<p>“We’ve gotta get out of here and hunt,” I choked out. </p>
<p>“We can’t,” Jasper said, just as strained as I was. “Not if the wolves are surrounding us. Maybe we should have a bag. Just one each …” He trailed off as he made a move toward the cooler. </p>
<p>Just then, Esme zipped up the stairs and came into the study. She gave Jasper a disapproving frown. “Jasper, please, honey, we all want it.” Switching gears, she went on. “I was hoping you all could help me. Edward heard in Jacob’s mind before he left that he had no more clothes. Alice, could you find something for him to wear and leave it out for him? I’m going to work on making them some food. Emmett, will you help me? Jasper, you go help Alice choose some clothes. Get clothes for Seth and Leah too.”</p>
<p>“Wait, Leah’s on our side too now?” I asked incredulously. “She hates us.”</p>
<p>Esme shrugged. “Well, she’s joined Jacob’s pack of two and sworn to protect us.”</p>
<p>“Protect her little brother, more like,” Jasper put in.</p>
<p>Grateful for a distraction job I would enjoy, I turned my mind over to fashion. It wasn’t nearly as enjoyable choosing clothes without seeing what they’d look like when they wore it in the future, but I still had a knack for sizing and style, so it would have to be enough.</p>
<p>“I’m going through your closet, Emmett,” I called after him as he headed down to the kitchen with Esme. “You’re the biggest; I think only your clothes will fit.”</p>
<p>“No problem, shorty.”</p>
<p>I rummaged around in Emmett’s closet, picking up something, and then rejecting it, tossing it behind me into Jasper’s outstretched arms. The pile was getting rather large, and I was becoming frustrated by not having the help of my gift and missing what it did for me. Fed up, I decided to go with the next thing I picked up, no matter what it was. Tan pants and a white button-down shirt. The most boring thing possible. I thought my head might pop.</p>
<p>I picked out clothes for Leah and Seth as well. For Leah, I chose a few of Esme’s slip-style dresses—easy on, easy off. And for Seth, he had a build most similar to Carlisle, so I picked out some casual lounge pants and T-shirt. Jasper basically acted as my manservant, not really commenting, probably still thinking about the blood in the other room. </p>
<p>The Clearwaters were probably not going to return to the house with Jake, so I put their clothes in plastic bags to protect them from the elements. I rushed downstairs, avoiding the living room and the painful shards of static that accompanied it, and placed Jacob’s clothes on the porch stairs, stashing the two bags across the yard by the tree line. The stabbing sensation was especially intense at the moment. My heightened thirst was probably to blame for me being extra sensitive, and I dashed back up the stairs quicker than Bella’s eyes probably even registered.</p>
<p>I was back in the attic, and the stabbing lessened to moderate poking. It still hurt, but I could kind of ignore it, as I had been for the past couple of weeks.</p>
<p>When Jacob eventually returned, I ventured to the top of the stairs, listening to see if he liked the clothes I picked. He and Edward were talking outside, and Edward was offering him and the other two the comforts of our home before Jacob became a wolf and went off into the woods. When Edward came back in alone, I turned to go back to the attic. I’d only wanted to be nearer to the blankness. If Jacob wasn’t staying, the static wasn’t going away, so I had to get back upstairs. Then there was a loud crunch, and Bella moaned with pain, and Jacob dashed back inside. I gravitated back to the top of the stairs to ease my headache and couldn’t help but notice the clothes were too snug and short for him. Sadly, there wasn’t anything more I could do to fit him properly, Emmett was our biggest family member.</p>
<p>I looked down at the scene below. Rosalie was carefully lifting Bella into her arms, and Bella’s pain was clear on her face. Edward made a move to take her, but Rosalie bared her teeth at him and growled, "I've already got her." </p>
<p>I stood aside as she carried Bella upstairs to the X-ray in the spare room Esme usually used for painting. Carlisle and Edward were right on her heels, leaving Jacob looking dumbstruck down below. He moved toward the door and leaned back against the wall, sliding to the ground in exhaustion. Who knew when the last time he slept was? I tended to forget that alive things need to sleep at certain intervals since I don’t remember ever doing it myself. </p>
<p>I flitted down the stairs to his side. "Do you want a pillow?" </p>
<p>"No," he mumbled. </p>
<p>"That doesn't look comfortable," I commented, waving a hand to indicate his form. </p>
<p>"S'not." </p>
<p>These one-word answers weren’t doing much for my opinion of his intellect. "Why don't you move, then?" </p>
<p>"Tired. Why aren't you upstairs with the rest of them?" </p>
<p>If one-word answers were good enough for him, they were good enough for me. "Headache."  </p>
<p>He opened his eyes and looked at me, examining my face. "Vampires get headaches?" </p>
<p>"Not the normal ones." </p>
<p>He snorted but changed the subject. "So how come you're never with Bella anymore? Thought you two were like this." He twisted two of his fingers together. </p>
<p>"Like I said"—I took a seat a few feet away from him and tucked my knees under my chin—"headache." </p>
<p>"Bella's giving you a headache?" </p>
<p>"Yes.” He looked confused, so I explained, "Not Bella, really. The ... fetus." </p>
<p>Understanding dawned on his face, and he looked pleased that I felt the same way he did about the situation. Truthfully, it made me feel better to have an ally on the right side of things, even if we could do nothing to change it. "I can't see it," I confided in him. "I can't see anything about it. Just like I can’t see you." He didn’t like the comparison, so I rushed to continue. “Bella gets in the way. She's all wrapped around it, so she's ... blurry. Like bad reception on a TV—like trying to focus your eyes on those fuzzy people jerking around on the screen. It's killing my head to watch her. And I can't see more than a few minutes ahead anyway. The ... fetus is too much a part of her future. When she first decided ... when she knew she wanted it, she blurred right out of my sight. Scared me to death." I paused for a moment, debating for a moment whether I should reveal my purpose here and deciding to do so. “I have to admit, it's a relief having you close by. Everything goes away. Like having my eyes closed. It numbs the headache." </p>
<p>"Happy to be of service, ma'am," he mumbled, his eyes drooping in exhaustion. </p>
<p>"I wonder what it has in common with you ... why you're the same that way." </p>
<p>That woke him up fast, and he clenched his hands into fists. "I have nothing in common with that life-sucker.”</p>
<p>I shrugged. "Well, there's something there.” Jacob relaxed, too tired to keep up his righteous anger. “You don't mind if I sit here by you, do you?" </p>
<p>"Guess not. Stinks anyway." </p>
<p>"Thanks," I said sincerely. "This is the best thing for it, I guess, since I can't take aspirin."  </p>
<p>"Could you keep it down? Sleeping here," he mumbled, and then he was out like a light. </p>
<p>The snoring started soon after. I got a pillow and repositioned him so he was at least lying down, and I continued to sit by him, waiting for Bella to be brought back down. If she came down and the static got bad again, I’d have to leave, but I hoped being this close to Jacob would negate her influence on my head. </p>
<p>A short time later, they all came down the stairs, Rosalie once again holding Bella. Bella’s breathing was shallow, and she gritted her teeth a few times until she was settled comfortably on the couch. I looked at her with baleful eyes, and she said, “Don’t worry, Alice, it was just a cracked rib. No biggie.”</p>
<p>“No biggie? It’s breaking your bones now!” Edward said, struggling to keep from lashing out at her. </p>
<p>“This sort of thing happens in normal pregnancies too, Edward,” Rosalie retorted. “Try to calm down.”</p>
<p>“Edward, Rosalie, please,” Bella pleaded, and they both reluctantly turned away from each other.</p>
<p>Several hours passed. Bella slept through the night the same as Jacob, and at least six hours passed. We all just sat quietly with our thoughts as only vampires could. The only sound was Jacob’s repeated rhythmic snoring, which was slowly driving Rosalie insane. I’d take the snoring. I finally felt completely numb, and it was blissful.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Note: In the book, Esme is the one who chose and left clothes for Leah on the porch. I thought it made more sense for Alice to have that job and kept Esme involved as the one who came up with the idea.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Only the Human is Fed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: This chapter includes direct quotes from Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (Chapters 14 &amp; 16). No copyright infringement intended, and I make no profit off of this.</p><p>I’m trying to condense as many straight-from-the-book parts as possible in as few chapters as I can, so this is kind of a filler chapter, but there’s a lot of original content in the next update, I promise! </p><p>This wouldn't be half as good without bouncing ideas with palmofafreezinghand or as grammatically sound without the red pen of Alice's White Rabbit. Thank you both so much.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>________________________________________<br/>Visions Interrupted: Chapter 7 - Only the Human is Fed<br/>________________________________________</p><p>Several hours passed where we all sat like statues as Bella and Jacob slept. At around midnight, I smelled a wolf approaching the house. The sound of its paws stopped in the forest brush, and there was a popping noise that signaled a shift. The rustle of plastic and cloth made me smile. Whoever was out there was taking advantage of the clothes I’d left for them. Human footsteps approached, and it was Seth who appeared in the doorway, looking down at Jacob, who was blocking the threshold, snoring away.</p><p>“Oh dang, he's passed out!” Seth laughed, and Edward and I chuckled with him as Rosalie rolled her eyes. “Geez, I was starting to get a little worried. It’d been a while since we heard from him. I told Leah he probably just crashed human, but she wanted me to check.”</p><p>“Well, please, come in and rest,” Edward welcomed him.</p><p>“Don’t mind if I do,” Seth replied, stepping over Jacob’s enormous form and giving me a nod of greeting. “Oh, yeah, and thanks for the clothes.” </p><p>“No problem,” I chirped as I evaluated the outfit from where I sat on the floor. The clothes fit pretty well—Carlisle’s size worked for him. I looked over at Jacob with his too short pants and wished again I could have dressed him more comfortably.</p><p>Seth sank into the armchair next to the couch, letting his tired muscles go slack. Edward seemed to relax a little bit in Seth's presence. Edward made no secret of the fact he considered Seth a friend—he’d even invited him to the wedding. The kid didn’t have a bad bone in his body. Always sunny and positive, accepting and optimistic, Edward liked being in his head. The fact that Seth was integral to winning the fight with Victoria didn’t hurt either.</p><p>Having both Seth and Jacob so close actually alleviated the pain in my head completely, and for the first time in weeks, I felt almost normal. I still couldn’t see, but I felt like I could sort of function again.</p><p>Seth dozed in his seat until a particularly loud snore jolted both him and Bella awake.</p><p>“Asshole,” Rosalie muttered with a tsk, upset that Bella had been woken. Bella winced as she gingerly sat up, and Seth met her gaze, his face concerned. </p><p>“Hey, Seth,” Bella greeted groggily. “How’s it going?”</p><p>“Hangin’ in. How ’bout you?”</p><p>“Me too.” </p><p>Internally, I cringed, as I’m sure Edward and Rosalie both did. I hated how she brushed off her pain, pretending it wasn't there. For his part, Seth took the high road and played along, making Bella feel at ease. They made some small talk for a while until Bella complained she felt cold. Ever the gentleman, Seth was quick to stand up and sit next to her on the couch so he could warm her up with his body heat. As he slid an arm around her shoulders, he commented, “Hmm, Bella, you feel a little warm.”</p><p>Carlisle was in the room in an instant, an electronic thermometer gun thing in his hand. He scanned her forehead and read the results, frowning. “You have a low-grade fever, Bella—100.7 degrees.”</p><p>“Yeah,” she replied, biting her lip. “I was feeling really hot earlier, but being next to Rosalie helped.”</p><p>“Well, I don’t think it’s anything to worry about. Your immune system has weakened substantially. I’m sure it’s unrelated, a coincidence.” What he didn’t say was that she was so weak because she had been starving to death for weeks.</p><p>“Well, I don’t get sick,” Seth said cheerfully, “so snuggle in, sister!”</p><p>For the next two hours, Seth and Edward took turns regulating Bella’s temperature. When she got too hot, Edward would step in. When she’d get too cold, Seth would take over. It went in a cycle until the fever eventually broke. Now she was sitting between the two of them, a cup of blood nestled in her hands. Every time she took a sip, I had to shut down my breathing. The rushing sound of the blood gliding through the straw reminded me of a pumping artery. It made my mouth water—it was so alluring. I knew exactly why Emmett and Jasper had taken to hiding out in the attic. The blood, it was right there, and I craved it. But the absence of pain in my brain was worth the torture in my throat. Nothing hurt more than the static. Still, I desperately needed to hunt, and I wasn’t quite sure how long I’d be able to restrain myself for the sake of a numbed mind.</p><p>Glancing at the others, I realized I wasn’t alone in my torment. Rosalie and Edward had both stopped breathing and were avoiding looking at the cup. Even Carlisle looked piqued; after all, it wasn’t like he went to work without adequately hunting beforehand. His thirst was just as painful as ours; he just had centuries of practice ignoring it. Bella wasn’t oblivious to our pain, and she tried to suck on the straw quietly, but that only made it louder, more noticeable. Jacob’s snores picked up in intensity, and I focused my attention on that. Edward’s eyes slid over to me, hearing in my thoughts what I was doing, and he murmured under his breath to the others, “Use Jacob’s snores to distract you.” They all turned their eyes toward the sleeping wolf, and the obnoxious sounds did seem to help us refocus as everyone’s posture relaxed. Bella decided to just finish her cup quickly to put us out of our misery, and she sucked it all up, handing the cup to Rosalie when it was empty. She took it to the kitchen to rinse it out, and we all breathed a sigh of relief. Rosalie was back in the next instant, and Seth looked between us with concern.</p><p>“Dang, when was the last time you all drank something?” Seth queried.</p><p>Edward shrugged, and Rosalie glared. “About a month,” I told him. </p><p>“Since they returned from Brazil,” Carlisle added.</p><p>Seth shook his head, his eyes wide as he looked around at all of us vampires. “Nah, that’s not okay. You guys need to go hunt. I’ll stay here with Bella.”</p><p>Edward was usually on his best behavior around Seth, but this time, he failed to hold back a scoff. “Nobody can go anywhere. We’re on alert, remember? Your former pack brothers are coming to kill us?”</p><p>“Oh. Right. Well, that’s a tough one.” Rosalie rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might roll right out of her skull. “So, why are you even hanging around here? If you guys just go somewhere else, then the threat goes away too,” Seth reasoned. “Sam and the pack are meant to protect the people in and around La Push. If you move out of state, he won’t chase you.”</p><p>“We had considered that,” Edward told him.</p><p>“Going up to our cousins in Denali,” Esme added, commenting from the kitchen.</p><p>Huh? I didn't remember this discussion. I must have been hiding in the attic when it happened. I cursed the static for making me miss important things.</p><p>“But I can’t really move around a whole lot,” Bella put in.</p><p>“Bella’s right. She shouldn’t be moved around," Carlisle agreed. "Besides, I’m an established doctor here in Forks. I couldn’t just go somewhere new and have access to all of the medical equipment that Bella requires. I even have the authority to buy blood with my current credentials. Bella’s going to need more blood soon—there are only a few bags left. We’re going to have to buy more.”</p><p>“Well, don’t worry, Dr. C. Jake and I will make sure it's safe for you when he wakes up. Or, well, it’s not up to me, but I’m sure Jake will agree.”</p><p>“Yes,” Carlisle said, more to himself than anyone else. “We have to hunt too—Emmett and Jasper can’t hide upstairs forever. We’ll have to see if Jacob thinks we can take the risk safely.”</p><p>Dawn was starting to break on the horizon, and Seth’s stomach growled loudly. </p><p>“Speaking of needing to eat, can I make you something?” Edward asked him.</p><p>Seth’s eyebrows shot up. “You can cook?”</p><p>“Sure,” he replied, hooking a thumb at Bella. Both she and Seth chuckled. </p><p>“Yeah, that'd be great, Edward. Thanks.”</p><p>“Do you want to try eating something?" he asked Bella. "I’m making eggs.”</p><p>She smiled shyly and nodded. He smiled back at her, and I could tell they were communicating something just between them, like they were remembering a private joke. It warmed my heart that Edward finally had someone to share inside jokes with, but the feeling was soured almost immediately when I remembered that he only likely had about four days left to share them with her.</p><p>He frowned at me as he headed off into the kitchen to join Esme, and I vowed to control my thoughts around him. He didn’t need even more negativity than he was already dealing with. I heard him greet Esme with forced pleasantry, and she pretended to believe his effort, telling him about the lunches she was already prepping to set out later for the wolves. Esme couldn’t be around the blood any more than we could, but she was more sensible than the rest of us and did things to busy herself, removing herself from the situation, like Jasper and Emmett were doing upstairs. </p><p>At around 8 a.m., the phone started to ring. No one ever called the house, so we knew it had to be Charlie. Esme flitted into the room at the sound, knowing it was her job to answer it, as she was the person who’d been communicating with Charlie the most, telling him we were at the CDC and feeding him lies. Carlisle looked balefully at Bella, and it seemed like he was going to let it ring out.</p><p>“Let me talk to him, Carlisle,” Bella told him. “I feel good.”</p><p>Carlisle reluctantly nodded to Esme, and she answered on the fifth ring. I kicked Jacob’s foot to try to interrupt the snoring so Charlie wouldn’t hear it. He didn’t stop snoring, but the tone did change to a quieter one, so I was satisfied with my handiwork. Still, I was done being so close to the loud aspirin when I had a much quieter aspirin available to me. I moved to sit on the floor next to the side of the couch Seth was sitting on. Rosalie mirrored me at Bella’s feet.</p><p>“Yes, Charlie, she’s awake and wants to speak to you,” Esme was saying.</p><p>Bella eagerly reached for the phone, and Esme handed it to her, turning to go back to the kitchen to help Edward cook. She brought the phone up to her ear. “Dad? ... Yeah, it’s really me ... I’m feeling better ... No, you can’t see me—I’m still really contagious. Edward and I are both in quarantine ... But don’t worry, I’m really feeling a lot better. So, how are you, Dad? Been fishing with Billy lately?”</p><p>Charlie and Bella began to talk about mundane things, so my mind wandered. I couldn't understand how she was justifying leading her father on like this. It was so much worse to give the poor man false hope. Because even if she survived the birth, it wouldn’t be as a human, and she'd never be able to see Charlie again, no matter what ended up happening. So, she was making herself feel better but destroying him in the process.</p><p>After the much too positive call, Bella hung up the phone, smiling to herself. She was so happy to have spoken to her father, but didn’t she realize the pain she was causing? </p><p>A little while after she hung up with Charlie, Edward came in with two plates of omelets and bacon, one held a normal amount of food while the other was piled high. Seth’s eyes lit up as Edward handed him the plate with the mountain on it. Edward sat down on Bella’s other side and gave her the plate. Bella picked at her food for a few moments before shaking her head and pushing the plate back toward Edward. “I’m sorry. I just can’t.”</p><p>“S’ok,” Seth said, scooping up her plate and adding her food to his. “More for me!” </p><p>Bella chuckled, and Edward forced himself to laugh along, even though I was certain he was desperately upset that she still wouldn’t eat real food, and he glowered at me for picking up on it.</p><p>“I could use some blood, though,” Bella said as if she read my mind. Rosalie was gone and back in seconds, a fresh cup in her hand. She handed it to her and sat back down at her feet.</p><p>After taking a long, agonizing sip, Bella’s shoulders relaxed, and Edward asked, “Bella, why do you insist on talking to Charlie. Why are you stringing him along? This will only make it a thousand times harder for him to recover from your death.” </p><p>“Edward,” she cooed like she was talking to a wounded bird. “I’m going to make it. You’ll turn me in time. We can avoid seeing him for a year while I’m a newborn, then maybe I can see him again.”</p><p>If you survive, I’m sure we were all thinking.</p><p>Edward’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing to refute her idea. Carlisle cringed at her words while Rosalie’s expression didn’t change. Seth seemed uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation, and he glanced over at his alpha’s sleeping form. Nobody wanted to tell her that there was a 50/50 chance the venom wouldn’t save her, especially if she was dying anyway. So, we let her believe she’d be able to see her father again one day, and we’d deal with the consequences when the time came.</p><p>Just then, Esme came in with a tray of enormous cinnamon rolls. Seth laughed at the sight of their size, loud enough that Jacob began to rouse. Seth took one of the rolls, and she returned the tray to the kitchen. The snores stuttered to a halt as Jacob’s awareness returned.</p><p>"About time," Rosalie mumbled. "The chainsaw impersonation was getting a little tired."</p><p>"Hey, Jake's coming around!" Seth mumbled, his mouth full of eggs. Jacob looked around, confused for a moment, until he found Seth in the room, his gaze suddenly alight, glaring at Seth with anger, though I couldn’t imagine why Jacob would be so angry at a sweet kid like Seth. He got to his feet and stepped toward his pack brother menacingly. "He came to find you," Edward quickly explained. "And Esme convinced him to stay for breakfast." </p><p>Seth tried to save face with Jacob; he seemed unsure what set the alpha off, and he was scrambling. "Yeah, Jake—I was just checking to see if you were okay 'cause you didn't ever phase back. Leah got worried. I told her you probably just crashed human, but you know how she is. Anyway, they had all this food and, dang"—he turned to Edward—"man, you can cook." </p><p>"Thank you," Edward murmured.</p><p>Jacob’s eyes didn’t lighten; in fact, he looked even angrier than before. I followed his gaze and saw what he was staring at was Seth's arm around Bella’s shoulders. "Bella got cold," Edward said quietly, responding to my observation. Immediately, Seth slid his arm away from her and dug into his food with both hands. Jacob relaxed significantly as soon as Seth was no longer touching Bella. I wanted to laugh at his ludicrous jealousy ... still possessive of the girl who didn't choose him over and over again.</p><p>Jacob and Seth started talking about Leah and running patrols and eating breakfast, and frankly, I tuned out because I didn’t really care. I wasn’t there for the wolves’ life stories; I was there for the painkillers. I tuned back in when Carlisle approached them.</p><p>“... if Leah’s going to eat raw, I will too,” Jacob finished, turning his attention to Carlisle. </p><p>"Speaking of hunting,” he began, “that's going to be an issue for my family. I understand that our previous truce is inoperative at the moment, so I wanted your advice. Will Sam be hunting for us outside of the perimeter you've created? We don't want to take a chance of hurting any of your family—or losing any of ours. If you were in our shoes, how would you proceed?" </p><p>Jacob looked surprised to be asked his opinion. I suppose it would feel off to him for a centuries-old vampire to be consulting a sixteen-year-old wolf. This boy was suddenly in charge of our safety and protection. Lord help us. </p><p>"It's a risk," he said after a few moments, avoiding looking at the rest of us. Maybe knowing he was surrounded by extremely thirsty vampires weirded him out. "Sam's calmed down some, but I'm pretty sure that, in his head, the treaty is void. As long as he thinks the tribe, or any other human, is in real danger, he's not going to ask questions first, if you know what I mean. But, with all that, his priority is going to be La Push. There really aren't enough of them to keep a decent watch on the people while putting out hunting parties big enough to do much damage. I'd bet he's keeping it close to home." Carlisle nodded thoughtfully, encouraging Jacob to continue. "So I guess I'd say, go out together, just in case. And probably, you should go in the day 'cause we'd be expecting night. Traditional vampire stuff. You're fast so go over the mountains and hunt far enough away that there's no chance he'd send anyone that far from home." </p><p>"And leave Bella behind, unprotected?" Carlisle questioned.</p><p>The wolf snorted derisively, gesturing between himself and Seth. "What are we, chopped liver?" </p><p>Carlisle laughed to humor him, but come on, Jacob was a baby compared to us. Carlisle got serious when he said, "Jacob, you can't fight against your brothers.” </p><p>"I'm not saying it wouldn't be hard, but if they were really coming to kill her, I would be able to stop them." </p><p>Carlisle shook his head, anxious. "No, I didn't mean that you would be ... incapable. But that it would be very wrong. I can't have that on my conscience." </p><p>"It wouldn't be on yours, Doc. It would be on mine. And I can take it." </p><p>The wolf was out of his mind if he thought Carlisle would ever instigate a fight where Jacob might have to kill his brothers. Obviously, that was a possibility, but Carlisle would never be the catalyst. Frankly, it made me a little nervous that he was so naïve and yet cocky at the same time, thinking that killing any of his former pack brothers wouldn’t destroy his psyche for the rest of his life. </p><p>Carlisle, a real leader in every sense of the word, did just what I thought he’d do and shook his head firmly. "No, Jacob. We will make sure that our actions don't make that a necessity." He frowned, thinking for a moment. "We'll go three at a time. That's probably the best we can do." </p><p>"I don't know, Doc. Dividing down the middle isn't the best strategy." </p><p>"We've got some extra abilities that will even it up. If Edward is one of the three, he'll be able to give us a few miles' radius of safety." </p><p>I swallowed my inappropriate chuckle. Carlisle was crazy if he thought Edward would leave Bella's side for any reason. Everyone looked at Edward. And his expression had Carlisle backtracking quickly. </p><p>"I'm sure there are other ways, too," Carlisle said, backing up fast.</p><p>You need to drink, Edward, I thought to him.</p><p>He didn't answer or look at me, but his face hardened and his eyes tightened, and I knew he wouldn’t listen. Bullheaded, stubborn, stupid boy. If ... no, WHEN she bleeds, you'll regret not hunting.</p><p>Carlisle continued, unaware of our silent exchange. "Alice, I would imagine you could see which routes would be a mistake?" </p><p>"The ones that disappear," I said hollowly, nodding. "Easy." They continued talking while I lamented the holes and pain in my visions until Esme came in with a big covered dish in her hands. She made Jacob take the tray of food for himself and Leah, and he did leave with it, but the look on his face made me think he wasn’t actually going to eat it.</p><p>Eventually, Seth finished his heaping breakfast and went out to relieve Leah from her patrol. The probing needles quickly returned, so up to the attic I went. What had once been my solitary sanctuary was now crowded by two hulking males going mad with thirst. Emmett and Jasper had basically moved up there now that Bella was drinking blood frequently.</p><p>Ascending the stairs from the third level of the house into the attic, I was greeted by the faces of my lover and my brother. Their bodies were curled in on themselves, needing to duck their heads to accommodate the slant of the room. One of the benefits to being small, I could fit just about anywhere, so I never worried about that sort of thing. That’s why this space was perfect for me and me alone. </p><p>I stopped on the stairs when my head and shoulders were visible, and I shook it regretfully. “No way guys. There isn’t enough room in here, and I really, really need it.” </p><p>Emmett was grouchy. “Come on, Alice, just sit in Jasper's lap or something. We're fucking thirsty.” </p><p>“Yeah, darlin’,” Jasper agreed. “I can’t go back down there where the blood is all out and loose in the house. And everyone wants it, not just me. Everyone’s need fills me with desire.”</p><p>“They call it bloodlust for a reason,” Emmett added.</p><p>“Probably best we don’t talk about it,” I reasoned as I came up the rest of the way into the attic and crammed myself in next to Jasper.</p><p>“It’s kinda hard not to, Alice. It’s all I can think about.” Emmett was pouting now.</p><p>“Okay … let’s play a game then. Twenty questions. I’ll start,” I dictated, smiling wryly.  No way I would lose this round; they were never going to guess my mystery object. I was imagining a sumptuous red dress straight from Versace’s latest collection. God, I missed shopping. This was the longest I'd ever gone without shopping since Jasper and I first joined the Cullens in 1950!</p><p>Emmett nodded, grateful for the distraction. I felt Jasper relax beside me too, and I was glad I could help them somehow. Emmett began to question me with our usual repertoire. </p><p>“Is it smaller than a breadbasket?” No. “Is it a living thing?” No. “Does it have motion?” Yes. “Is it useful to a human or vampire?” Yes. </p><p>“It’s clothes, isn’t it?” Jasper breathed quietly in my ear. I couldn’t help but smile. </p><p>Emmett had noticed our brief exchange, and while he hadn’t heard what Jasper said, he knew Jasper had said something. He glared at Jasper and protested. “Hey, his question doesn’t count against my total!”</p><p>“Of course not, Em,” I reassured him, “please continue.”</p><p>“Does it flow?”</p><p>“Flow?”</p><p>“Yeah, like a liquid?”</p><p>I hesitated, considering the question. It was a dress, so it had fluidity. I supposed it did. “Yes.”</p><p>“Is it ... red?”</p><p>Eyebrows rising, I was surprised he’d guessed the color. “Yes!” I exclaimed.</p><p>“Oh, my God, Alice, that is really sick,” Emmett said, suddenly angry, his large hands forming fists. </p><p>Taken aback, I sought refuge in Jasper’s arms. Jasper bared his teeth at our brother in warning. If only I could see! I could have predicted Emmett’s reaction to the dress idea and just picked another object. I was frustrated, not just because I couldn’t use my gift, but also because I was obviously so reliant on it. I felt its absence in every interaction I had lately. </p><p>Hurt and confusion clouded my voice when I asked him, “What? What’s sick?”</p><p>“Using blood as your mystery object? I never would’ve thought you’d do something like that,” he sneered, his eyes narrowed at me. “It’s fucked, Alice.”</p><p>“It wasn’t blood, Emmett!” I defended myself. “It was a Versace dress! I wouldn’t do that. God!” I was so offended he would think I would ever torment him like that.  </p><p>“How do I know you aren’t changing your tune now that your little joke didn’t land,” my brother sniped. This was not Emmett. He was usually so easygoing, and he never talked to any of us like this. Emmett’s restraint had never been put through a true test, though. Sure, he abstained from humans, but if he got thirsty, there was always something he could drink if he needed to. Now, all avenues were cut off, the danger too great, and he was feeling the burn.</p><p>“Your mind is warped by your thirst right now, Emmett,” Jasper said, reading our emotions and trying to level us out in the small space. “She didn’t do what you think she did. It’s the thirst messing with you. I know ’cause I can feel it.” Emmett nodded, his shoulders relaxing a little. Jasper went on. “My question was whether or not it was clothes, and she’d confirmed it was, so she’s telling the truth. It was always the dress. It was never blood. That was in your own mind.”</p><p>Emmett clutched the sides of his head and squeezed his eyes shut. “God, I don’t think I can take this much longer. It’s right downstairs. I need it!”</p><p>“I know, man,” Jasper sympathized. “I want it too. But you don’t need it. Bella needs it. That’s why we’re up here until we can figure out how to get past the wolves to hunt.” God, I loved Jasper so much. He would do anything so I could keep my best friend. Even resist an easy and guiltless human blood source in his own home. His force of will awed me, and it made my dead heart swell to know he did it all for me.</p><p>Emmett sighed and met my eyes. “I’m sorry, Alice. I shouldn’t have put that on you.”</p><p>Still kind of hurt by his accusation, I wasn’t quite ready to move past it, but I knew I would eventually, so I just said, “Thanks, Emmett.” The three of us kind of looked around at each other awkwardly for a few moments. All of our throats were parched and dry, desperately yearning for sweet lubrication. This room was no longer a sanctuary for me. It was almost as bad as the needles. “So, should we still play?” I asked cautiously. </p><p>“Sure,” Emmett answered. “But Jasper picks the object this time.”</p><p>We played a few rounds until I finally felt that beautiful wave of blankness coming to take my pain away. “Oh, a wolf is coming back,” I announced with great relief, and I rushed down the stairs, away from the bloodlust-filled atmosphere to bask in my version of aspirin. </p><p>I heard Bella and Rosalie in the bathroom, and when I got to the top of the stairs, I saw Edward on the couch with Esme's comforting arms wrapped around him. Then, Jacob let himself in and took in the scene, seeing me on the second floor landing and tightly smiling a little despite himself.</p><p>"She's all right," Edward whispered, answering Jacob's thoughts no doubt. "Or, the same, I should say." </p><p>"Hello, Jacob," Esme greeted him. "I'm so glad you came back." </p><p>"Me, too," I said with a deep sigh, dancing down the stairs and skipping over to his side. </p><p>"Uh, hey," he greeted me awkwardly. "Where's Bella?" </p><p>"Bathroom," I told him. "Mostly fluid diet, you know. Plus, the whole pregnancy thing does that to you, I hear." </p><p>"Ah." He stood there awkwardly, rocking back and forth on his heels. The awkward small talk made me feel like I was in an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, that carnival theme music running on loop.</p><p> "Oh, wonderful," Rosalie grumbled as she returned from the bathroom with Bella in her arms. "I knew I smelled something nasty." </p><p>Bella greeted Jacob warmly, and Rosalie set her down with care, Edward leaning over her, watching as Bella fought to hide her incredible pain. But we knew. We all saw through it. "Are you cold?" Edward asked her. Bella said she was fine, but Rosalie wasn’t having it. </p><p>"Bella, you know what Carlisle told you," Rosalie said. "Don't downplay anything. It doesn't help us take care of either of you."</p><p> "Okay, I'm a little cold. Edward, can you hand me that blanket?" </p><p>"Isn't that sort of the point of me being here?" Jacob grumbled.</p><p>Bella beckoned him over to the couch with a smile where he took up the position Seth had left behind.  Soon, Jacob’s stomach rumbled. I knew he wasn’t going to eat the food Esme gave him, and I didn’t need my visions to know it. </p><p>"Rosalie, why don't you get Jacob something from the kitchen?" I said, unthinking. Rosalie whipped around to look at me, her mouth open in disbelief, a hint of betrayal in her eyes. </p><p>"Thanks, anyway, Alice,” Jacob said with a hollow laugh, “but I don't think I'd want to eat something Blondie's spit in. I'd bet my system wouldn't take too kindly to venom."</p><p> "Rosalie would never embarrass Esme by displaying such a lack of hospitality," I challenged her.</p><p>"Of course not," Rosalie said in a sugar-sweet voice as she went to the kitchen.  </p><p>Edward and I exchanged an amused glance. It felt good to take Rose down a peg. She was the one actively abetting in killing the girl we loved, after all.</p><p>“You'd tell me if she poisoned it, right?" Jacob asked Edward. </p><p>"Yes," Edward promised. </p><p>Do you think she’d try? I asked in my mind.</p><p>Edward looked left, then looked right, so that was a no. Then his eyes unfocused like they did when he was singling out someone’s thoughts, and then he ducked his face to hide a smile.</p><p>This was followed by a lot of banging in the kitchen and screeching metal. Whatever Rosalie was doing was noisy and apparently amusing. Then Rosalie was back with Jacob’s dinner, presented in a mixing bowl she’d bent to resemble a dog dish. "Thanks, Blondie," he said, actually seeming impressed with her handiwork. They traded a few barbs while I groused to myself about not having seen the hilarious food bowl ahead of time. I had to hand it to her; my sister was as quick and cunning as she was headstrong and tenacious, and I would have loved to be in on the prank. </p><p>The show seemed to be over as Jacob started eating his steak dinner, undeterred by the bowl (or if he was, he wasn’t going to give Rosalie the satisfaction of showing it), and Rosalie started flicking through the channels on the TV ultra-fast. I moved to sit behind the sofa, listening to Bella’s breathing even out as she fell asleep. Edward took the opportunity of Bella’s unconsciousness to fill Jacob in on Bella’s condition. I think Edward was grateful to have another person on his side besides me to pour his broken heart out to, even if it was his recent romantic rival. </p><p>I laid down behind the couch, closing my eyes, trying to mimic sleep and just take in the blankness as best I could. When I tuned back in to the conversation a while later, Edward was telling Jacob about Emmett’s and my research.</p><p>"What did their stories say about the ... mothers?" Jacob was asking. Pain ripped through me as I remembered why the dhampirs never had mothers. Edward was just as speechless as I was, but Rosalie had no trouble responding. </p><p>"Of course there were no survivors," she said scornfully. "Giving birth in the middle of a disease-infested swamp with a medicine man smearing sloth spit across your face to drive out the evil spirits was never the safest method. Even the normal births went badly half the time. None of them had what this baby has—caregivers with an idea of what the baby needs, who try to meet those needs. A doctor with a totally unique knowledge of vampire nature. A plan in place to deliver the baby as safely as possible. Venom that will repair anything that goes wrong. The baby will be fine. And those other mothers would probably have survived if they'd had that—if they even existed in the first place. Something I’m not convinced of." </p><p>There were a few beats of silence, and then a long clanging sound rang out in the air. I saw the mangled dog bowl ricochet off Rosalie’s head and into the stairwell railing post. "Dumb blonde," Jacob muttered as Edward failed to muffle a snicker. </p><p>"You. Got. Food. In. My. Hair." </p><p>I couldn’t help it—I started laughing. I kept imagining what Rosalie’s face must look like, and it was hilarious. Of course I wished I’d seen it beforehand, but it was almost better as a surprise, so for once, I was grateful to be like everyone else and live in the present.  </p><p>All our laughing woke Bella up. "What's so funny?" she mumbled. </p><p>"I got food in her hair," Jacob told her, chortling again. </p><p>"I'm not going to forget this, dog," Rosalie hissed. </p><p>"S'not so hard to erase a blonde's memory," he shot back. "Just blow in her ear." </p><p>"Get some new jokes," she snapped. </p><p>"C'mon, Jake. Leave Rose alo—" Bella broke off mid-sentence and sucked in a sharp breath. "He's just," she panted, "stretching." </p><p>Edward called for Carlisle, and he was there instantaneously. Bella tried to reassure everyone she was all right, then made the same mistake I had yesterday in comparing the creature to Jacob.</p><p> "Do NOT compare me to that thing," he said through clenched teeth.</p><p>"I just meant your growth spurt," she explained. "You shot right up. I could watch you getting taller by the minute. He's like that too. Growing so fast."</p><p>"Hmm," Carlisle murmured, that medical intrigue coming through.</p><p>Now, I couldn’t see from my spot behind the couch, but judging by the long silence, I was sure Carlisle and Edward were having one of their silent discussions. This was confirmed when Jacob demanded to be included.</p><p>"I was wondering about the fetus's genetic makeup, Jacob,” Carlisle explained. “About his chromosomes." </p><p>"What of it?" </p><p>"Well, taking your similarities into consideration—" </p><p>"Similarities?" Jacob growled. </p><p>"The accelerated growth and the fact that Alice cannot see either of you. Well, I wonder if that means we have an answer. If the similarities are gene-deep." </p><p>"Twenty-four pairs," Edward muttered under his breath.</p><p> "You don't know that," Jacob protested.</p><p>"No. But it's interesting to speculate," Carlisle said in a soothing voice. </p><p>"Yeah. Just fascinating," he snarked.</p><p>And then Carlisle and Edward were off and running with their scientific theories on Jacob and the demon’s genetic codes. I really had no freakin’ idea what they were talking about. I went to college for fashion and design, sometimes mathematics, but never science or medicine—I didn’t have that much confidence in my control. I inserted myself into the conversation anyway, pretending I understood and even rephrasing a few things the others said to sound like I was contributing new information. It was a fun game that no one but Edward was the wiser to.</p><p>Eventually, Jacob got bored or something and left again, and I couldn’t be in the living room anymore. I gave Bella a conciliatory glance before rushing back to the attic and filling Jazz and Emmett in on Carlisle’s plans to request a hunting window from the wolf. We were feeling cautiously hopeful, but then we heard the snap of bone and the commotion as the rest of our family tried to gently move Bella up to the X-ray machine. We listened to Bella’s grunts of pain. We listened to them trying to figure out which bone broke, speculating it was her pelvis. I could feel Jacob returning—he must have heard the commotion too. The smell and the blankness were approaching fast, so I headed downstairs to let him in since everyone else was busy in the X-ray room. I opened the door and was met with a bewildered Jacob. Maybe I moved too fast? I wasn’t sure. </p><p>"Hey, wolf." </p><p>"Hey, shortie. What's going on upstairs?" </p><p>I shrugged, not entirely sure what was happening but knowing it was bad. "Maybe another break." </p><p>"Another rib?"</p><p>"No. Pelvis this time." </p><p>I stared at Jacob’s trembling hands as he took in this new upsetting information and tried to control his phase. Then we were listening to Rosalie's voice upstairs. "See, I told you I didn't hear a crack. You need your ears checked, Edward." There was no answer. </p><p>Rosalie was really taking this protection detail too far. It was so obvious to me that she didn’t care about Bella as anything but a vessel for what she perceived to be a miracle baby. Whatever happened to Bella in the process was collateral damage, and she even had Bella’s permission to allow her to die. If I let myself dwell on it, it tore me up inside. "Edward's going to end up ripping Rose into small pieces, I think. I'm surprised she doesn't see that. Or maybe she thinks Emmett will be able to stop him." Sadly, I knew he would, even though he didn’t agree with her.</p><p>"I'll take Emmett," Jacob offered. "You can help Edward with the ripping part." </p><p>I gave him a half-smile. Then the procession came down the stairs—Edward had Bella in his arms this time, but every slight movement caused her immense pain. She tried not to show her agony as he arranged her on the couch, but she couldn’t hide her pain from any of us. Rosalie came down next, followed by Carlisle. </p><p>"Carlisle, we went halfway to Seattle," Jacob informed him. "There's no sign of the pack. You're good to go." </p><p>"Thank you, Jacob. This is good timing. There's much that we need." </p><p>"Honestly, I think you're safe to take more than three. I'm pretty positive that Sam is concentrating on La Push." </p><p>Carlisle nodded in agreement. "If you think so. Alice, Esme, Jasper, and I will go. Then Alice can take Emmett and Rosa—" </p><p>"Not a chance," Rosalie hissed. "Emmett can go with you now." </p><p>"You should hunt," Carlisle said in a gentle voice. His tone didn't soften hers. </p><p>"I'll hunt when he does," she growled, jerking her head toward Edward. Carlisle sighed. </p><p>Jasper and Emmett were down the stairs in a flash, and Esme and I joined them at the far wall, ready to leave out the back door. Carlisle thanked Jacob, and then we darted out the door to finally quench the fire in our throats.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Note: If you haven’t seen it already, the Emmett POV outtake, The Phone Call, has been posted under my profile as a separate work so as not to interrupt the flow of this story. I hope you’ll check it out!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. It's Happening, Carlisle</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. The chapter contains direct quotes and passages from Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. (Chapters 17 &amp; 18)</p><p>Endless thanks to palmofafreezinghand and Alice’s White Rabbit for their immeasurable help.</p><p>Geography Note: The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest encompasses almost 4 million acres along the east slopes of the Cascade Range in Washington.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>________________________________________<br/>Visions Interrupted: Chapter 8 - It’s Happening, Carlisle<br/>________________________________________</p><p> </p><p>The five of us raced through the trees, making our way to the National Forest, which was well past Seattle, certainly out of the wolves’ range. The wildlife there was diverse with so many creatures to choose from: elk and mountain goats, grizzlies and black bears, cougars and bobcats. This would make for good hunting, and then we’d be on our way to Everett, a smaller city north of Seattle where Carlisle was scheduled to pick up some donations from the local blood bank. </p><p>He didn’t want to get all the blood he needed for Bella from one place—that could lead to suspicion— so he was spreading out his withdrawals to blood banks in the general vicinity so he wasn’t dealing with the same staff over and over. It would still be on record how much blood he’d taken and from where if someone decided to investigate, but hopefully, no one would find a reason to. If they did decide to look into it, we would just have to move and live under a different surname again for a while, like when one of us, usually Jasper, slipped and killed someone. Luckily, since we were far from Bella and the blood bag pick-up wasn’t impacted by any of her decisions, I could see that Carlisle would arouse no suspicion when obtaining it today.  </p><p>I think we were all relieved to enter the reserve and finally have the opportunity to feed. We flew up the side of one of the Cascade Mountains. The burn in my throat was a terrible raking pain. It felt like the sides of my esophagus were fused together—I was so parched. We were all desperately thirsty, but Esme’s thirst was arguably the worst of all of us because she was in the presence of human blood as consistently as Carlisle but without his vast experience; the rest of us mostly hid in the attic when Bella was drinking. Esme’s eyes were black and feral, venom trickling from the corner of her mouth. She veered off as soon as she scented the mountain goat herd, and Carlisle followed after her. Emmett announced he was looking for a bear cave, and Jasper wanted in; he was ravenous and a big bear would feed him well. I continued on by myself, telling them I’d find them later. I was looking forward to cougar and was determined to find one.</p><p>Cougars weren’t too populous in the state of Washington, so we tended to avoid feeding on them; they weren’t usually easy to find anyway. That is, we all avoided them except for Edward; he never seemed too concerned that his penchant for the lions would make them scarcer, preferring to simply enjoy his meal guiltlessly. Well, today, I was taking a page out of Edward’s book. I deserved a cougar after all the stress and pain I’d been dealing with over the last few weeks, so conservation be damned. </p><p>Totally unencumbered, alone in the vast forest on the side of the mountain, I made a firm decision to find a cougar and searched my own future to see where I should go. The cat I would be looking for was asleep on a rocky outcropping with a large crevasse cut into the mountainside. A sleeping cougar wasn’t going to be any fun, but I wasn’t really there to have fun today; I just needed to feed. There weren’t a lot of trees around so the den must be near the summit, and from the position of the moon, I knew which side of the mountain to search on. </p><p>Knowing exactly what to look for, I scaled the mountain, only needing about ten minutes to find the correct outcropping. The crevasse wasn’t big, but neither was I, and I slid in next to her, running my fingers through her soft fur before latching onto her throat, giving the majestic creature a peaceful death.</p><p>The blood of the cat slid down my throat, finally quenching the fire within. I felt it spread throughout my body as I drank greedily, the warm liquid infusing first my torso, and then radiating out along my limbs until my entire body tingled with the elixir of life. The lust coursed through me from the rush of blood, and in my intoxication, I nudged the cougar’s body out of the crevasse and watched it roll down the mountain for a few moments before stretching out in her spot, enjoying her blood flowing through my body and leeching up the warmth her body heat had left on the stone beneath me.</p><p>The cat had been drained too quickly, and the flushed, sated feeling was already fading. It had been weeks since I’d fed, and I would need a lot more than one cat to satisfy me. I allowed my visions to take over and looked for the moment when we would all meet back up. The sun was just breaking over the horizon as we converged on a clearing from different directions. I had more than enough time to drink my fill. I gorged myself on a few goats before crossing paths with Jasper and Emmett. They must have changed their minds about their route, so we ended up going to the clearing together instead of separately like I’d seen.</p><p>We walked into the clearing just as Carlisle and Esme entered from the opposite side, the sky a pinkish hue as the first ray of the sun broke the horizon. I smiled to myself. It was such a relief to be able to use my gift again. Everyone's eyes were golden instead of black, and the tension of the last few weeks was replaced with relief and satisfaction. We exchanged greetings and were sharing our tallies for the evening when Carlisle’s phone buzzed with an incoming message. </p><p>He slid it out of his pocket, checking the text he’d just gotten. “Of all the bad luck!” he exclaimed, passing his phone to Esme so she could read the text too. “The blood bank in Everett only has six liters for me. I need at least twelve. Preferably more, but I can make do with twelve.”</p><p>“Oh, no,” Esme worried. “How will you get the extra liters?” </p><p>“I'm going to have to use my contact in Vancouver,” Carlisle explained. “I’ll have to place the order today, as soon as possible.”</p><p>“How long’s that gonna take?” Emmett asked, starting to get nervous. Emmett loved Bella like a sister almost as much as I did. I knew how much it was hurting him to see her suffer.</p><p>“It'll only take one extra day,” Carlisle reassured him. “I’ll pick it up when they open and run home the same day.” </p><p>“What if the baby comes before then?” Esme wondered, anxiety clouding her golden eyes. </p><p>“Don’t worry,” he said with confidence. “By my calculations, Bella still has at least four days of gestation left.” </p><p>“Why don’t we just break into the blood bank tonight after they close and take the rest of what we need?” Jasper asked, never too worried about breaking human laws.</p><p>“It’s better to go through legal channels. It wouldn’t do for blood to just disappear, Jasper. People would get suspicious,” Carlisle explained. “This can work …" He trailed off into thought, and impatiently, I jumped ahead in time a minute or two, seeing that he was going to divide us up. It was so nice not to be surprised by what was going to happen for once, and part of me wished he wasn’t going to send me back to the house so I could enjoy my gift a little bit longer. </p><p>"Alice and Jasper, you two will return with the blood we get in Everett. Emmett, you and Esme will come with me to Canada. It's possible I may be able to get more than I’m anticipating, and we'll need an extra set of hands to run it all back safely. What do you see, Alice? Can we expect more?”</p><p>Quickly, a series of images flashed through my mind, all of them ending with the three of them holding boxes of blood. “Yes, they’ll have lots of expiring bags to unload in Vancouver.”</p><p>“Good thing we’re all well-fed.” Carlisle raised his eyebrows as he looked at Emmett. Jasper whistled and elbowed Carlisle playfully. “Oooo, damn, he got you, Emmett.”</p><p>Emmett took mock offense, exclaiming, “Hey!” as Esme smacked the back of Carlisle’s head. We all dissolved into laughter, something we just didn’t do much lately, before making our way back to Everett for Carlisle's appointed pick-up time. </p><p>Xxxxx</p><p>Sometime later, Jasper and I waited in the nearby woods while Carlisle obtained the blood from the Everett blood bank, Esme and Emmett having gone to secure a car to drive to Vancouver. After all, it wouldn't do for them to just carry the boxes down the street and disappear into the forest. They would transfer the blood bags into duffle bags, return the car halfway back, and then run the rest of the way home to Forks.</p><p>As we waited for Carlisle, I could literally feel the nervous energy rolling off Jasper in waves. I actively fought against the onslaught and flitted over to his side, laced my arms through his and encircled his waist, trying to exude a sense of calm.</p><p>"Tell me, Jazz," I whispered soothingly.</p><p>"It's nothing," my stubborn mate deflected.</p><p>"Don't lie," I said, playfully swatting his ass and earning a smile. "I can feel your nerves. You're projecting." </p><p>He looked down at me and met my gaze. His eyes should be a pale yellow with how much he'd drunk, but they were dark. The mere thought of carrying human blood was making him thirsty again. “Maybe you should hunt again,” I suggested.</p><p>He shook his head. “No, darlin’. I can still feel it sloshing around. I don’t think I could drink another drop even if I wanted to.”</p><p>“Then why are you so worried?” I gave him a supportive squeeze.</p><p>“Because it’s human blood. It’s harder to resist. You know that.” He dropped his chin, and I could feel his insecurity build. “I don't know why Carlisle chose me to transport the blood back to Bella. I'm not sure I’ll be able to resist drinking it if it's on my person, especially for so long."</p><p>I held him at arm’s length so I could really look at him and quirked an eyebrow. "First of all, I'm pretty sure Carlisle chose <em>me</em> to run it back, you and I are just a package deal.” Jasper’s mouth dropped open in mild offense. “And second, you just drank two bears, and these blood bags have preservatives. You only wanted it so much before because we hadn't hunted in weeks. You'll be fine."</p><p>"First, rude. Second, I still don't trust myself, Al."</p><p>Seeking to reassure him of what I already knew even without looking, I unfocused and visited Jasper’s future. Being in his future was like being in my own, so easy to shift into. For most others, I had to focus and concentrate my thoughts on that person to see their future, but with Jasper, it was always a smooth transition. We were well and truly bonded, our futures totally entwined. </p><p>I saw one vision where he drank all the blood, and one where he smuggled one bag in his coat pocket for later, and one where he resisted and we made it all the way home with all six liters accounted for. The vision where he dealt with his struggle was the strongest, just as I had suspected. Sometimes his strength of will amazed me. Coming back to the present, Jasper was watching me expectantly. </p><p>"You will successfully resist, Jazz. Don't be so hard on yourself." </p><p>He smiled slightly, and I knew he felt more confident. Reaching up on my tiptoes, I kissed him gently on the lips. He tightened his arms around me and lifted me into a hug, which I happily returned. Now my hips encircled his, and my ass was rubbing against his rising cock. Warmth flowed from my core through my body, and I shifted, grinding against his abs. He groaned, and I silenced him with a kiss, taking his lip between my teeth. I knew the almost bite would arouse him. It did, and he deepened the kiss. We were really starting to get hot when a nearby throat cleared loudly. We broke apart and looked in the direction of the sound to find a very uncomfortable Carlisle with a backpack slung over his shoulder. Damn, it had been so long since we’d been able to be intimate, we didn’t even hear Carlisle’s approach. We would have to be more careful and wait until we were safely at home to finish this because that was dangerous. If we had been nearer the house, would we have even sensed the wolves approaching before they ripped us apart?</p><p>Jasper looked anywhere but at Carlisle. “Uh, sorry. It’s been awhile.”</p><p>“Yeah. I know,” he sympathized. “I’m there too.” </p><p>Some of my siblings were grossed out to think Carlisle had a sex life, but he wasn’t my creator, so I loved when his twenty-three-year-old, playful side showed itself. It was a rare treat. Jasper smiled as well, and the embarrassment dissipated. That’s where the three-hundred-year-old side came through. Carlisle knew exactly what to say to make you trust him, and I did. Even though I knew that persuasion was a skill of his, I still believed him, which was a testament to his skill in itself. </p><p>“Here’s what we could get here in Everett,” Carlisle said as he handed the backpack to me. I winked at Jasper and slung it onto my back, sliding my arms through the loops. It was featherlight, almost like I was carrying nothing. Carlisle read my confused expression correctly and said, “It’s not nearly enough, but it will be sufficient until we return tomorrow.”</p><p>“Okay, boss,” I said, giving him a playful salute. “See you.”</p><p>We parted ways in the same moment—Carlisle heading back to Esme and Emmett, and Jasper and I headed home. We couldn't slow down or take our time; Bella needed the blood now, not later. She had actually been looking a little healthier since she started drinking the blood. I found myself hoping, against my better judgment, that it would give Bella enough strength to get through the birth and come out of it a vampire. It was that or death. I didn’t need my visions to tell me that. No one needed to be told—we could all see it plainly with our own eyes. We all could see this was a death sentence, even Bella knew it. But she didn’t care as long as the murderous creature inside her lived. </p><p>“What's wrong, Al?” Jasper asked as we raced through the woods.</p><p>I sighed. I didn't really want to talk about it, but he wasn't going to let it go since he felt what I felt. He wouldn’t let it drop because he wanted to know why he was feeling a particular way. That was understandable—he wanted a reason he was feeling sad or angry or frightened before he assigned his own reason to it and got lost in the torrent of someone else’s emotions. That was a big reason he and Edward weren’t close. Edward’s emotional turmoil wasn’t a place you wanted to be, and Jasper had a front row seat to all the angst over all the years. </p><p>Even though I understood why Jasper needed to know, it was still inconvenient when I didn’t want to talk about it. “I’m just ... dreading going back. I’m scared to see what state Bella will be in. I don’t want to feel the pain in my head anymore. I want to use my gift again. I can’t love you like I want to. All of those things.”</p><p>“And?”</p><p>“And?”</p><p>“There’s more.”</p><p>I sighed. “Yeah, how about I don’t want to watch my best friend die? I don’t want to see her body ripped apart as the creature tears its way out of her. I have to live forever, Jasper. I can’t carry that with me for eternity.”</p><p>Jasper didn’t say anything for a long time. It was a relief to have voiced my fears though, so I ended up feeling grateful he asked. Whether it was my own gratitude or Jasper’s, I couldn’t be sure, but I welcomed it all the same. </p><p>Finally, he whispered, “You don’t have to see it. Stay in the attic with me. And when the thing finally emerges, I’ll handle it.”</p><p>Xxxxx</p><p>When we arrived at the house not long after, Bella was asleep on the couch, and Jacob was nowhere to be found, leaving me to walk straight into the brain needles once again. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I noticed Edward sitting on the couch with Bella’s feet in his lap. Rosalie wasn't even in the living room, apparently not standing sentinel over Bella anymore, but she came in from the kitchen with a smile when she realized we were back. Why was she so relaxed? What had changed? When I looked over at Edward, I had my answer. Gone was the fear and despair that had lined his face for weeks, replaced with ... contentment? Wonder? </p><p>“We, uh, brought back some more blood for Bella,” I struggled to say as I tried to reacclimate to the static and make sense of Edward’s change in attitude. I shrugged off the backpack and handed it to Rosalie.</p><p>"Where's everyone else?" she asked.</p><p>“Emmett, Esme, and Carlisle went to Canada to get more,” Jasper answered as I grappled with my migraine and my confusion.</p><p>“Great, I'll just put these in the fridge,” Rosalie said.</p><p>She took the backpack into the kitchen, and I looked back at Edward, who was sharing a smile with Jasper. Why the hell was everyone so peaceful all of a sudden?</p><p>Edward seemed to be ignoring me, or maybe he really didn’t notice my thoughts. He seemed pretty dazzled at the moment. Feeling my confusion about Edward’s apparent happiness, Jasper asked him. "So, what's this good mood about, brother?"</p><p>“I can hear it.” His voice was full of wonder. “The fe—baby. The baby. I heard his thoughts.”</p><p>My hand flew up to my mouth. As Edward filled us in on what he’d seen in the creature’s mind, I realized he’d been convinced that the creature was pure and innocent, that it loved Bella, and Edward could never hate anything that loved Bella. I couldn’t help but wonder—could it be that the fetus had known exactly what to do to convince Edward not to want to kill it? We didn’t know what the hell was in there; only that it was apparently self-aware, which was kind of horrifying in itself. Edward shot me a dirty look for my train of thought, and I knew then that he was unequivocally Team Baby now, and I was the only one left on Team Demon. No one was going to fight the birth now, not when they were so sure it was “good” and “pure”. Obviously, a demon would use that to trick us into letting it live and letting Bella die, but no one was seeing it that way. If it could already manipulate a cynical and pessimistic vampire like Edward, there was no telling what it was capable of. And that was a terrifying thought.</p><p>Edward was ignoring my negative thought spiral, his hand on Bella’s belly as he smiled at whatever the fetus was thinking. Or baby, as everyone else seemed to believe now. I looked to Jasper, and he was grinning at Edward. I knew then that Jasper was feeling all of Edward’s happy feelings and paying mine no heed. I couldn’t understand why no one was upset about Bella dying anymore. Why was I alone? </p><p>“The baby understands what it’s doing, Alice,” Edward explained, his tone pointed. “It knows it’s hurting Bella, but it’s trying not to.”</p><p>“Trying doesn’t mean succeeding.” I looked at Bella’s belly and directed my next words to the apparently quite sentient creature inside it. “You’re still hurting her, even if you don’t want to.”</p><p>Edward sighed. “I know. But I think we can deliver him as soon as Carlisle gets back. I think the baby is developed enough to live on the outside. It would be a controlled cesarean section, and Carlisle and I will be right there to turn Bella if we have to.”</p><p>Now he thought Bella had a chance of surviving? “I don’t know, Edward ...”</p><p>“Please, Alice, I need your support on this. I know now that the baby is good. We can save them both if we just control the birth.”</p><p>Slowly, I nodded as I tried my best to see it his way and pushed the fear of the unknown to the back of my mind. Jasper came over and took my hand, squeezing it gently, trying to pump some confidence into me. Bella would survive, I told myself. If Edward and Rosalie and Carlisle all attended her in a controlled situation, she would be able to hang on long enough to be turned. Then she would be a vampire, just like the rest of us. Indestructible and eternally a Cullen. </p><p>And the baby? Well, we would see if it was really a baby soon enough. Edward shook his head at that last thought, but I wasn't backing off that idea. Only a few hours ago, he'd felt the same exact way as me, and I didn't have the benefit of my gift to feel so certain like Edward did. He was just going to have to deal with the doubts in my mind.</p><p>“Thanks,” he said sincerely, acknowledging my efforts to understand his new feelings.</p><p>“Turning her is going to be a problem for the wolves,” Jasper reminded him. “The treaty?”</p><p>“Yes, I had considered that, and I’m going to ask Jacob to allow an exception for this situation.”</p><p>“He can’t do that,” Rosalie scoffed.</p><p>“Yes, he can. He’s the true alpha—Ephraim’s heir.”</p><p>“And he doesn’t want her to die either,” Jasper added. “He’ll do it, I think.”</p><p>Just then, we heard tires turn off the road into our driveway. </p><p>“That’s Jacob now,” Edward told us. “Here goes nothing.”</p><p> He went out to the garage, and Rosalie flashed over from where she’d been standing by the piano to take his place on the couch by Bella’s feet.</p><p>“You hardly have to protect her anymore, Rosalie,” I pointed out. “Everyone’s on your side now.”</p><p>Rosalie just shrugged. “I don’t mind.” Apparently, she was too used to her role to change it now.</p><p>With Jacob so nearby, the needles had lessened to a more tolerable level, but it would be better once he was in the same room as me. I looked forward to that numb feeling, but for now, I listened in on the conversation in the garage.</p><p>“Leah was here?” I asked when Edward started ranting at Jacob about it.</p><p>“Yeah, she really let Bella have it,” Rosalie confirmed. “It wasn’t pretty, but wow, that girl has some balls.” A look of admiration crossed her face as she reflected on whatever Leah had said until Bella began to stir.</p><p>“Alice,” she greeted me as she struggled to sit up, her voice rough from disuse. “Jasper. Hi. Did Edward tell you the good news?” I nodded and forced a smile onto my face. “We’re going to have this baby as soon as Carlisle gets back. I can’t wait to meet him.” She rubbed her gargantuan belly adoringly.</p><p>I swallowed hard against the fear, my gift automatically trying to search for my new sister’s future only for my brain to be stabbed repeatedly with knitting needles for trying. “I’m so happy for you guys,” I managed to say; although to her ears, I sounded smooth.</p><p>She smiled at me, encouraged by my newfound support, even as both Jasper and Rosalie knew I was still struggling with it. “Rose?” she asked. “Can you get me some more ... you know …” She glanced furtively at Jasper, her expression apologetic.</p><p>“I think that’s my cue to get out of here,” Jasper said in a gentlemanly voice, and he excused himself to our bedroom. He may have just fed, but being in the same room as an open cup of delicious human blood was a struggle for even the most controlled vampires here. </p><p>Out in the garage, Edward was posing his idea to Jacob. "I want your permission to deviate from what we agreed to in our treaty with Ephraim. I want you to grant us an exception. I want your permission to save her life ...” </p><p>Rosalie returned with the cup, and Bella took it with a grateful smile. She slurped some up, and then suddenly Edward was in the room. "Bella, love, I thought you were sleeping.” He hurried to sit on the couch by her feet. "I'm sorry. I wouldn't have left." </p><p>"Don't worry. I just got so thirsty it woke me up. It's a good thing Carlisle is bringing more. This kid is going to need it when he gets out of me."</p><p>"True. That's a good point." </p><p>"I wonder if he'll want anything else," she mused. </p><p>"I suppose we'll find out," he answered, his expression full of adoration. He’s done a complete 180, his entire affect changed. The creature had used his mind reading to its advantage, and I feared its power. It had convinced Bella to love it as it shared her body and had convinced Edward to love it as it shared his mind. What would it do when it could interact with all of us? I remembered the stories that dhampirs were vampire hunters, but I shut down that line of thinking. Edward didn’t need to hear my speculations to dampen his new happiness. He deserved to feel it while he still could because I feared it wouldn’t last long.</p><p>Jacob walked through the door, and my brain was numb again. "Finally," I said with a sigh.</p><p>Bella and Jacob bantered a bit, dancing around the Leah elephant in the room. Then, Jacob began to look like he was having a bit of an internal crisis, and when Edward fervently whispered, “Thank you," I knew he had agreed to the exception in the treaty. The two friends talked a little more until Bella had to use the bathroom.</p><p>Rosalie chuckled. "Again?" </p><p>"I think I've drunk two gallons in the last hour," Bella explained as Rose came over to lift her off the couch. </p><p>"Can I walk?" Bella asked. "My legs are so stiff." </p><p>"Are you sure?" Edward asked. </p><p>"Rose'll catch me if I trip over my feet. Which could happen pretty easily since I can't see them."</p><p>Rosalie set Bella carefully on her feet, keeping her hands right at Bella's shoulders. Bella stretched her arms out in front of her, wincing a little. "That feels good," she said. "Ugh, but I'm huge. One more day. All righty, then. Whoops—oh, no!" </p><p>The cup Bella had left on the sofa tumbled to one side, spilling over the couch cushions. Bella went to reach for it, and there was a muffled screeching and ripping sound, then Bella fell toward the floor in a faint. Luckily, Rose was right there, and she caught her, Edward rushing up next to them.</p><p>"Bella?" he asked, and then his eyes unfocused, and panic shot across his features. A half-second later, Bella screamed in agony. The horrifying sound cut off with a gurgle, and her eyes rolled back into her head. Her body twitched, arched in Rosalie's arms, and then Bella vomited a fountain of blood. </p><p>Rosalie scooped her up and hurried her upstairs to the X-ray room where there was an operating table. Edward was hot on her heels, and Jacob followed too, but I felt paralyzed, unable to move in my shock and horror.</p><p>Upstairs, I heard the snapping of bone and tearing of sinews, and Edward screaming for the morphine. </p><p> "Alice, get Carlisle on the phone!" Rosalie screeched. </p><p>Calling out to me snapped me out of my stupor, and I raced to get my phone off the charger, dialing Carlisle in the next second. He answered after two rings. I could hear the wind whipping as he ran through the forest, casually greeting me. “Hi, Alice, how’s everything going?”</p><p>“It’s happening, Carlisle!” I said in a panic, as I rummaged in the desk drawer for a Bluetooth earpiece.</p><p>“Oh, no,” he gasped, and the sound of the wind stopped. I heard Emmett ask what was going on in the background. “When?”</p><p>I put the phone on the desk as I accessed the menu to set up the Bluetooth connection, giving him details rapid-fire. “Just now. She was fine one minute, and then there was a loud snapping sound, and she went limp. Edward and Rosalie ran her upstairs.”</p><p>“My God, put me on with them!”</p><p>“Working on it,” I said as I finished up. Then I zipped up the stairs, remembering to hold my breath before opening the door. </p><p>I couldn’t help but look, and the sight would be etched in my brain forever. Bella was naked, distorted, and screaming out in agony. Jacob stood to the side, staring in horror as Edward injected her with the morphine. Rosalie was closest to the door, so I rushed in and clipped the earpiece to her ear, whispering with my stored air, “Here he is,” before leaving just as quickly, the sight of my best friend broken and grisly on the table too much to bear.</p><p>I ran into our room, needing Jasper to level me out, but I didn’t see him anywhere. Following his scent to the closet, he was curled up in a tight ball, his face etched with pain. I couldn’t begin to imagine the excessive level of emotion he was receiving from everyone in the house—despair, fear, pain—all compounding inside him and swallowing him whole. His blank, staring eyes burned. I rushed over and knelt by his head, brushing the hair away from his face and stroking his cheek comfortingly. Then, my mate’s eyes widened, and his hands flew up to clutch his throat. “Rosalie,” he croaked. “Get her!” There was a loud ruckus coming from the X-ray room, and I flashed down the hall. Rosalie was crouched to spring near the door, and I leapt on her back, distracting her concentration.   </p><p>“Alice, get her out of here!" Edward shouted in a panic. "Take her to Jasper and keep her there!” </p><p>Keeping my eyes away from the table, not wanting to see what more damage the creature was doing to my friend, my hand grabbed Rosalie’s nearest body part. I dragged her out of the room by her neck, throwing her into Jasper’s and my room like a ragdoll. She never resisted me; she knew her control had slipped, and she wanted me to stop her. Shutting the door behind me, I moved a wardrobe in front of it, not that it would really slow any of us down if we wanted that blood. </p><p>Jasper had come out of the closet at that point, looking haggard and put upon but not overcome anymore. “Pretty sure it broke her spine,” he explained. “I don’t feel her pain anymore.” He was out of stored breath, and neither of us answered, not wanting to breathe, so the room was silent as we listened to what was happening in the room down the hall.</p><p>Rosalie’s face was a mess of anguish and guilt. She’d failed Bella at the most crucial moment, her bloodlust getting the better of her. I didn’t need my visions to know this was going to spark a spiral of self-hatred over her vampirism, and I felt bad for future Emmett.</p><p>We listened as Edward’s teeth scraped against the metallic womb, tearing the creature out of Bella’s body. And then, a baby wailed, and a fluttering heartbeat joined the other two, one racing, the other weakening. Rosalie's head whipped up, her eyes widening, the shadows within them clearing. Edward said something like Ren-esmay? My brow creased as Rosalie sighed happily. I didn't know what to make of that. Bella whispered how beautiful the creature was. She’d done it. She’d survived the birth.</p><p>Relieved it was over, I wondered if I could see Bella’s future clearly now that the thing was out of her body. I closed my eyes and focused my gift.</p><p>
  <em>Edward staring blankly out a window. A mound of dirt in the woods with a makeshift cross made of sticks. A forest fire. Edward walking into the flames, holding his severed arm. His body disappearing, purple smoke billowing.</em>
</p><p>And then, there were no longer three heartbeats, only two.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Note: The next chapter will be Jasper POV, and that should prove interesting! There will, however, be a brief pause in posting as I am getting my second Covid vaccine, and then celebrating my birthday the following weekend at the casino. Hooray! Hopefully, I'll win a lot of money; I'm having a lucky number birthday, after all! Make my birthday even happier by letting me know what you thought!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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